Wanted
by an-angel-in-hell
Summary: Anamaria wants Jack in the worst possible way...but desire and love don't always go hand in hand, and Ana's about to learn that love doesn't always lead to happy endings. When they are reunited years later, will they get a second chance at happiness?
1. I

Wanted

Summary- Anamaria wants Jack in the worst possible way… Full summary withheld temporarily.

A/N- Okay… I'm kind of nervous to see how ya'll are going to respond to this…it's really different, for me. If you want me to make this into a longer story, tell me. Otherwise I'll leave it alone. If it does become longer, I won't be updating very often because I have another story, "Curse of the Sparrows" running right now, and that one will take priority.

And, I know I spelled "pirate" "Pyrate" the spelling, and the weird capitalization was how they did it then.

* * *

Imagine my surprise when I turned around today and saw Jack Sparrow looking at me! My breath caught, and I felt myself break out in sweat, although that may have been more to do with the weather. My only coherent thought was- "_What the hell is _he _doing here?"_

It wasn't really him, of course. He hasn't been back to Tortuga since he stole my boat, the bastard. Well, I guess you really can't count it as stealing, per say. Not when he left a purse of gold and a note behind. But he still didn't ask, and that makes it theft! The next time I see him I'll slap him so hard his head will spin right back around!

No, it wasn't really him I saw. It was a wanted poster.

_WANTED, _it said in huge bold letters. Slightly smaller beneath it was: _Dead or Alive._ Interesting. Now the Navy would take him dead, as well? This was a new development. _Jack Sparrow, Pyrate,_ it read next, and I grinned in spite of myself. I could almost hear his exasperated voice correcting them, "_Captain, Captain_ Jack Sparrow."

Below all that was the picture, which I shall get to presently. Below the picture it said _Wanted for Pyracy, Looting, Impersonating a member of the Royal Navy, Impersonating a member of the Clergy, Robbery, Theft, et cetera._ Impersonating a clergyman? _That_ was a story I wanted to hear.

Next, they took out the big guns, so to speak. In large letters it said _REWARD: 20,000 pounds!_ My jaw dropped. 20,000! Unbelievable! Especially for the Navy, who were so highly strung. Very tight with money, or so I heard.

About the picture… it was well drawn. It was clear that the artist had actually seen Jack, and taken a good look at him too. The details seemed accurate, too, which was rare. The bandanna was drawn accurately, and the beads in his hair. His face was a bit odd looking, but only because it looked… clean. I wasn't used to seeing it that way. It was drawn right, though. Every detail was there, his mustache, his beard… and his eyes.

They were the thing that struck me about him when we met. Deep and chocolate brown, they seemed to read my very soul. And, as I had looked at him, and talked with him, I found myself wondering what it would be like for those eyes to be darkened with lust, what it would be like to feel him thrust deep inside me, to feel the weight of his body upon mine… I wanted to hear him call my name as he climaxed, I wanted him to touch the most intimate parts of my body… and I wanted to fall asleep in his arms when we were through.

I didn't even like him that much. He had made a number of cheap passes at me, and he _had_ taken my ship. He was just another pirate. I was one myself, no naïve girl dreaming of a life of romance. I knew what was what in the world, and I didn't need a man in my life. I didn't need _him_.

But he fascinated me. I wanted him in a deep, primeval way, a way that only a woman could want a man.

I had met him three weeks ago. I had known him three days before he took off with my ship, and I had only spent a few hours with him on each day.

So why was I in love with him?

* * *

Wow… I've never written anything quite like that before. I started off aiming in a different direction; I'll admit it sort of got away from me… at first I typed "got away with me", maybe that's more accurate. Anyway, did you like it? I hope so. Please review and tell me what you think, and if you want it to be continued. 


	2. II

Chapter 2

A/N: I'm so glad everyone liked it! Thank you for reviewing, it means a lot. This chapter is less intense than the first, but it's good anyway, I think.

I'm sorry it took me so long to update. You can stop by my profile and read the bold section at the top for fic info, when I'm probably going to update, why I haven't, ect.

Ana's mom's name probably isn't African, but I read a story for English class that took place during the Black Power movement, and there was an African guy in it named Ashamalakin, or something, so I sort of improvised off of that name. If it's not accurate, I'm sorry.

* * *

I winced as I entered the Faithful Bride. It was a good pub, and I liked it, it was just so… noisy. Right now there was a brawl going on that seemed to involve a bit over half the people in the room. There was a good deal of shouting going on within the fight, mostly of the "Oh, when I'm through with you…" "You dirty bastard!" and "What did you say about my mother?" variety.

Ignoring the fight, I scanned the room for familiar faces. I saw Gibbs in a corner and made my way over.

Joshamee Gibbs was an odd fellow. To be sure, he was kind, a good man- In fact, I owed him my life.

How it happened was this-

I had been serving on the pirate ship _Rover._ (How I got to be there is a great story, but for another time.) We attacked a ship we thought was a lone merchant- but much to our dismay, it was an ambush by the Navy. They had outfitted the merchant ship with their own men to lure a trap for pirates.

We were captured and taken to Nassau for trial. Of course we were all convicted of piracy; there was no contest. We were all sentenced to be hanged in two days, half on one day, half on another.

The first day I lost my fiancé, Emmanuel. It's an old hurt now (this all happened about a year ago) but I still miss him. I know he would be proud of how well I've got on without him… he never really believed I could.

The second day came, and they realized they hadn't divided us up right… there were three too many of us to be hanged that day. They chose three at random to leave in prison until they decided what to do about the matter. I, of course, was one of those three.

Later that day, two guards came and escorted all the prisoners out to the work yard…all save me. This had been going on since the first day. Despite the fact that I had been tried and convicted of piracy, whoever was in charge of the prison still seemed to think I couldn't handle the work!

Normally I felt insulted by this, but on that day I was glad for the privacy. It gave me time to think, and to mourn Emmanuel. I will confess that I did cry, at both the loss of my lover and at the prospect of imminent execution. I will tell you this, however- I did not sit there like a fool, wondering how I would go on without my true love. I could and I would- except, of course, for the fact that I was about to be executed.

I was slumped in the far corner of my cell brooding on this when I heard footsteps approaching.

"Excuse me lass, but what's your name?"

I turned to see a one of the sailors from the ship that we had thought was a merchant. He was short, stout, and looked as if he had left middle age behind a few years ago. His breath smelled of whisky, but he had a kind face. He looked trustworthy-

But I was in no mood to deal with Navy men.

"What do you want?" I snapped, standing up.

"Tell me your name," he repeated. His tone was kind enough, but there was an underlying seriousness that betrayed his determination.

"Why should I tell you anything?" I snapped. "Who are you, anyway?"

"My name is Joshamee Gibbs," he said. "An' as to why you should talk to me, that's simple- I can get you out of here."

_Now_ I was listening. "At what cost?" I asked suspiciously. Life as a pirate had taught me that things rarely came without a price.

"Your name," he replied. "And a little information."

"What information?" I asked warily.

"I'll ask the questions, you give the answers. I promise I'll get you out o' here no matter what," he said.

"Even if I don't tell you what you want to know?" I asked.

"Even if." Seeing my skeptical expression, he thrust his arm through the bars, hand outstretched. "I'm a man o' my word, lass," he assured me.

I shook. "Anamaria." I said.

He nodded as if he had anticipated the answer. "How old are you?"

"Round twenty-five. Don't know exactly." I replied.

"Why?"

"Until two months ago I was a slave."

He nodded again. "Does the name Deric Remsworth mean anything to you?"

"He was my owner until I was about seven. The other slaves said-" I broke off. No need for him to know _that._

"Said what?"

"They said that… that odds were, that he was my father." I said reluctantly. Why did he care?

"And your mother?" he asked softly.

"Died giving birth to me." I said.

He raised his eyebrows. "That what the other slaves said?"

I shook my head. "From what I heard, she ran off after she got pregnant. He found out she went to another plantation and found me there shortly after I was born, but she'd died. That's the story he told."

"Is it really?" he mused. "Her name was Alice, wasn't it?"

"Yes." I marveled. "How did you know-"?

"My father owned the plantation your mother ran off to. Remsworth was my best friend, my only friend. Not a lot of people liked him. I couldn't see it then, but he was ill. You know," he gestured to his head. "Not right up there. I stuck by him through thick and thin though, because of friendship.

"He owned his family's plantation. He had inherited it a few years before all this happened. One day I when was over there visiting him, his valet took me to the drawing room, said Deric would be there shortly. Well, a woman came in with tea. She was… unlike any woman, black or white, that I've ever known. I asked her what her name was, and she said Ashamalala (Ash-uh-mah-lay-luh). I asked her if it was African, and she said it was. She had an accent, that's how I could tell. One of the things that struck me about her was that she was acting like we were equals. It was odd, but at the same time, strangely refreshing.

"Then Deric came in, and he said 'Get out of here Alice.' She just looked him in the eye and said yes, sir. Like there was no difference between them. Once she left, he apologized for her. Said she was newly bought, and needed 'breaking in' as it were.

"Well, I started going out of my way to visit Deric when I knew he wasn't home, just so I could see Alice. Ashamalala that is, but Deric named her Alice and she said she didn't mind if I called her it. She said she knew no Western tongue could say Ashamalala correctly, and she wouldn't make me try.

"Of course one thing led to another and we fell in love. I talked about eloping but she wouldn't have none of it. I asked her to marry me in secret then. I said I'd buy her from Deric and then we'd get hitched and no one had to know but us. But she wouldn't agree to it, and Deric wouldn't sell, anyway. Now I know why.

"One day I was at home and she showed up. She didn't look too good. Deric had got tired of her actin' like there wasn't any difference between them, and 'taught her a lesson'. He had her lashed, an' then he raped her. Well, I hid her from him, and when we found out she was pregnant with his child, I took care of her.

"We thought Deric had forgot all about her. She had the baby and she named you Anamaria because it had the same basic sounds as her African name. We were happy.

"That was when Deric showed up. He just burst in and took you. Said you were his property. Then he looked your mother straight in the face and shot her before I could do anything.

"Deric told everyone I was your father and my own father disowned me to keep himself from scandal. Since I knew a little bit about ships and was educated, I joined the Navy as a midshipman.

"Now do you see why I'm ready to give up everything to help you?"

Speechless, all I could do was nod.

He handed me a key. "At midnight tonight the guards will be diverted. Use this key to get out of your cell. Meet me in the corridor outside this cellblock. I'll slip a sedative into tonight's dinner so the other prisoners won't try an' stop you, so don't eat it. You understand?"

I nodded again.

He turned to go.

I found my voice. "Mr. Gibbs!" I called.

"Yes?"

"Thank you." I said, although whether I was thanking him for his help or the story of my mother, I didn't know.

We stole a boat and sailed to Tortuga that night. Gibbs gave it to me and I kept it- until Jack stole it from me, of course. That's why I'm so mad! For the longest time all I had was that boat, and he took it from me.

-

Now that you know a little back-story, back to the Faithful Bride.

"Hullo Gibbs." I greeted him.

"Hey Ana," he replied.

"Mind if I join you?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Not tonight. I'm here on business."

"What sort of business?" I asked.

"I'm tryin' to help a friend o' mine get a crew together."

"Who?"

He eyed me for a moment. "None o' yer business," he said gruffly.

"You tell me this instant Joshamee Gibbs, or I swear I'll- I'll-"

"Jack Sparrow, alright? He's going off to try an' snatch the _Pearl_ back from under Hector Barbossa's greedy nose, but you ain't goin' with 'im!"

"Oh, really? Why not?" I demanded.

"Because this is Jack Sparrow we're talkin' about, alright? This scheme of his is as mad as all the others an' I won't have you gettin' hurt!" he said decidedly.

"Jack Sparrow owes me a boat." I snapped. "And I can look after myself. Don't try to stop me, because you can't."

He studied me for a moment. "You remind me so much of your mother sometimes," he said. "If you really want to do this, be at the East Dock at seven tomorrow. You do realize, though, that you'll probably be the only woman on the ship?"

"I don't care. It won't be the first time and probably won't be the last. I'll be fine." I said confidently.

He smiled at me. "Just like your mother."

* * *

I hope you liked it, even though it was drastically different from the first chapter. It was longer, and that's good, right? 


	3. III

Here we are with chapter three, if anyone's still reading this. Feedback has been impressive so far. Not so with my other PotC story. Check it out? Please? 

And- I could shoot myself for this- I forgot to put a disclaimer in! So, just for the record-

Disney owns everything you're familiar with, but I have Johnny Depp tied up in my basement. So there. sobs Oh, all right, it's a dirty lie. But I'm allowed to have fantasies, right?

Just to show you all how dedicated I am, I re-watched the entire movie to get the dialogue for two of the scenes in this chapter. I kept pausing and replaying it so  
I could be sure I had the exact right thing written down. It was very instructional; let me tell you. My best friend (known on this site as Virtual Unicorn) and I thought we had memorized the "you stole my boat" scene, but we had the dialogue _all_ wrong. So there Kat, you whelp, you.

* * *

I arrived early at the docks the next morning. I had packed all my things into a sack. The sack was large, but it had a lot of room in it, considering I didn't have very many things. A few changes of clothes, some jewelry (items of sentimental value- I didn't actually _wear_ any of it) and that was all.

I got there before everyone but Gibbs, who again tried to dissuade me from accompanying the group. When I asked him why he didn't want me along, all that he would say was that he didn't want me hurt.

"I can take care of myself," was my sharp reply.

"Not all wounds are physical." Gibbs replied. "An' I know your heart's in an awkward place right now."

"I don't know what you mean." I said sharply.

"Look, Jack himself might not know it but I do. I know you're in love with him, and that ain't good. Forget all about him, Ana. All you're in for is heartbreak."

_Damn. _He knew me too well. "I'm _not_ in love with him." I replied stubbornly.

"You 'aven't been the first woman to fall for the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow." Gibbs continued. "But that's all you've fallen in love with- a name, a face, a story. You don't know the man underneath."

"And you do?" I countered.

He sighed. "Ana, Jack doesn't fall in love. That's not the sort o' man he is."

"Everybody falls in love." I said, albeit weakly. Gibbs' words sounded truer than I'd like to admit.

"Everybody doesn't. Don't you hear what I'm sayin'? Jack Sparrow has no use for women that can't be provided by a whore."

"You're wrong. He's a good man." I insisted.

Gibbs' eyes were full of pity. "Aye, he is that. But he ain't a saint, either."

"I'm not lookin' for a saint." I said, walking away.

We waited for the rest of the crew to arrive at opposite ends of the dock. Gibbs waited at the end, while I stood at the front, examining each as they arrived from under the brim of my hat. It covered most of my face and I had tucked my hair up under it, so that when you looked at me you couldn't tell I was a woman. Of course, if you looked _too_ closely, you might notice two very unmanly lumps on my chest. Oh well, you do what you can, and I didn't particularly care who knew my sex.

Jack was late, arriving closer to eight o clock than seven. He had a boy in tow that looked a little younger than me. The boy (who he introduced as Will) seemed very skeptical of the entire situation, and I couldn't help but wonder why Jack had brought him along.

What followed was idiotic at best, involving a mute man and a parrot that apparently talked for him. Gibbs had obviously had a little too much rum last night if he thought these idiots could man a ship.

Finally I decided to speak up. "And what's the benefit for us?"

Jack turned and walked towards me. I tried to keep my head. _Righteous anger is the emotion needed here._ I told myself. _Don't get all nervous just because you're in love with him._

Looking as if he was afraid to do so, Jack lifted up the brim of my hat. I mustered up my best glare and aimed it in his direction as he pulled my hat off entirely.

"Anamaria," he said, sounding resigned.

I was fighting a losing battle. Seeing him again was too much, all I wanted was to throw my arms around him and-

No! _C'mon, Ana, pull yourself together!_ Then, without thinking, I slapped him so hard, his head turned completely around.

_Oh, hell. Did I do that?_

"I suppose you didn't deserve that one, either." Will remarked.

"No, that one I deserved." Jack said.

I nodded emphatically, having got hold of my anger again. "You stole my boat!"

He turned round. "Actually-" he began, but I slapped him again before he could finish. It was starting to feel good.

"Borrowed." Jack said a little exasperatedly, turning back to face me. "Borrowed without permission. But with every intention of bringing it back."

"But you didn't!" I yelled.

"You'll get another one." Jack offered.

I shook my finger at him, trying to find words. "I would-"

Will interrupted. "A better one."

Jack seized on this. "A better one!" he agreed.

"That one!"

Jack turned to look at Will. "What one?"

Will inclined his head toward the harbor.

I knew, even before I looked, what he meant. Yep. The _H.M.S. Interceptor_, former pride of the king's Navy, recently… acquired by Jack Sparrow. Gibbs had told me the whole story.

"That one?" Jack cried; sounding outraged.

I turned to look at him. There was no way he'd let me have it. Was there?

Jack looked resigned. "Aye. That one."

I wanted to grin and whoop for joy, but I kept my face impassive, mostly to annoy him.

"What say you?" Jack asked. He was speaking not only to me but also to the entire assembly.

"Aye!" we replied. The meeting was adjourned.

"No, no, no." I heard Gibbs say I as I walked off. "It's frightful bad luck havin' a woman on board."

I stopped. The bugger was _still_ trying to keep me from going along?

Jack replied. "It would be far worse luck not to, however."

I grinned.

* * *

"Someone go take care o' that sail, it's coming loose."

I looked up to where Jack was pointing. The sail was near the top of the mainmast. It would require a good climb to get to it. "I'll go." I offered.

We had set sail about a half an hour ago, and already I could see that the crew was treating me with caution. Most of them had just avoided me altogether, and they had all managed to leave the most simple and easy tasks for me to do. I knew pretty well how to deal with this reaction. On the _Rover_, I had gone on board dressed as a man. When my true identity was revealed, the men skirted me and the captain sent me to work in the galley, despite having seen me work for months alongside the rest of them. Then, during a storm I managed to stay at the helm for almost three hours of pounding, crashing waves and sleet. The rest of the crew respected me after that. I figured I needed to assert myself from the beginning in this case.

But Jack shook his head. "Not you."

"What?" I asked, outraged. "Why-"

"I'll go, sir," someone said from behind me.

Jack nodded at the man.

I continued to glare at him. "Why wouldn't you let me go? You didn't think I could handle it? Well let me tell you this, Jack, I-"

"It's Captain Sparrow, understood?" he interrupted.

I bit back a retort. As much as I hated it, Jack was right. In this situation, he was my better, as much as I hated to admit it. "Yes, sir." I replied, trying not to sound sullen.

Jack gave me a thoughtful look. He finally jerked his head in the direction of his cabin. "Follow me."

When we reached the cabin he turned to face me.

"How much experience do you have with ships?"

"Um…" I tried to think, wondering where this was going. "I was on the _Rover…_" clearly Jack hadn't heard of the ship. "With Edmund Corilles?"

He nodded in recognition. Corilles had been no Blackbeard, but he was fairly well known in the world of piracy.

"For six months or so." I finished. "And then- I had that boat- the one that got _stolen-_" to Jack's credit, he looked slightly sheepish- "For a year." I continued. "That's it."

"Ah," he seemed to be considering something. "Do you wanna be my first mate?"

"I-" my mouth was suddenly unable to close. "You're serious?"

"Completely."

"But- I mean, I'm flattered, but why me? Why not Gibbs?" I asked, bewildered.

"I asked him last night, he didn't want the job."

I stared at him. This was real. He was really asking me this. And if I were his first mate, it would seem perfectly normal for me to spend a lot of time around him. And in the course of all that time spent together, I could get to know him. And I could decide for myself whether or not he was the kind of man I wanted to be in love with.

"So… what do you say?"

"Yes." I said instantly. "I would be honored."

For the next few hours we discussed the journey and what it would involve. Or, we tried to. I tried to. The problem was that everything seemed to be rather unpredictable, and Jack refused to disclose the details of what he was planning.

"So, we're going to a mythical island so you can make a bargain with Hector Barbossa, whose entire crew is under some mythical curse? That's all you'll tell me?" I finally said, exasperated.

"Mm… yeah." Jack replied.

I resisted the urge to hit something, because if I did it would probably be Jack. "Well," I said, not bothering to hide my annoyance, "This should be interesting."

He grinned and patted me on the shoulder. "Just make sure everything runs smoothly on board, alright? If all this goes according to plan, I'll get me _Pearl _back, and you'll be more than compensated for the loss of your boat."

I didn't ask what would happen if things_ didn't_ go according to plan. I had the feeling I didn't want to know.

* * *

Armed with directions to the first mate's quarters, I stepped out from Jack's cabin onto the deck. Night had fallen by now and all was quiet. I retrieved my bag from where I'd left it on deck, and was about to make my way to my cabin when Gibbs stopped me.

"What?" I asked, a bit shortly.

He frowned. "You mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad at you?" I asked angrily.

"Judgin' from your tone, I'd say you are."

"Gibbs. Did you ever stop to think that maybe, just maybe, I might be able to take care of myself?"

The crease reappeared between his eyebrows. "What're you on about?"

"That little bit on the dock. The 'bad luck' speech?"

"Well it is! Bad luck, I mean," he said defensively.

I glared at him.

"Alright! You know I don't want you onboard-"

"I can take care of myself."

"This is gonna get dangerous."

"I can handle-"

"I don't want you getting hurt!"

"I'll be fine!" I said with a bit too much force than was necessary.

I sighed, seeing the hurt look on Gibbs' face. "Look, I'll be alright. I have to do this." I said softly.

Gibbs looked like he was thinking it over. "If he breaks your heart I'm gonna kill 'im," he said finally.

I laughed. "If he breaks my heart, I'll do it myself!"

Gibbs laughed with me.

* * *

Two Days Later

* * *

"Something's wrong."

Gibbs sighed. "Nothin's wrong!"

"They've been out there too bloody long!"

"Jack said it might take some time-"

"To hell with what Jack said!" I exploded. "Barbossa already tried to kill him once, what if he's decided to finish the job?"

"Ana, we 'ave to trust him."

I leaned against the rail, staring at the island we'd finally arrived at. The Isla de Muerta. Island of Death. I hadn't known what the name meant until Gibbs told me, having no knowledge of any language except English. Now I thought I might have rather gone on being ignorant.

The name of the island filled me with foreboding, though I couldn't pinpoint why. I had never been very superstitious, but maybe Gibbs was rubbing off on me.

"Trust Jack Sparrow? What is the world coming to when someone gives you _that_ advice?" I asked sullenly.

I was trying to stay calm, to convince myself everything would be all right, but inside I was nearly going mad with fear. Jack and Will had left the ship almost an hour ago, and I was having a horrible, sinking feeling that something was wrong.

The weather didn't reassure me. It was cloudy and overcast, the clouds still retaining rain even after the fierce storm we'd sailed through the night before. Hadn't Gibbs said that cloudy weather after a storm was bad luck? I couldn't remember.

"Ana, look!"

"What-" I didn't finish, because I saw what Gibbs had spoken of. The small boat Jack and Will had left in was emerging from the cave they had rowed into an hour previous.

I squinted at the boat, still a ways away. It held two people, one obviously female. That would be Will's Elizabeth. The other-

"No." I whispered. The other had to be Jack, it _had_ to be! I couldn't be seeing what I though I saw.

I took my spyglass from my pocket and held it to my eye.

I could say that my heart sank, but that would not do my emotion justice. I felt more like it had plummeted through my body and ended up somewhere in the ship's brig.

The other person in the boat was Will. Jack wasn't with them.

"What is it?" Gibbs asked, concerned. "Ana, wha's wrong?"

I handed him the spyglass, and he peered through it.

"Where's Jack?" he asked.

"I don't know." I said. My voice trembled, and I realized that I was near tears. "Gibbs, I think something's wrong. Something must have happened to him."

"No! He's all right, you know Jack, 'e can get 'imself through anything. I'm sure there's an explanation." Gibbs sounded firm, but whether he was trying to reassure himself or me I didn't know.

By the time the boat arrived, the whole crew had gathered on deck.

Will helped the girl on deck. She looked at us. "Not more pirates!" she muttered, sounding dismayed.

Gibbs tried to be kind. "Welcome aboard, Miss Elizabeth."

She frowned. "Mr. Gibbs?"

I shot him a glance. Did he know her? How was that possible?

Will finally hauled himself onboard.

"Hey boy, where be Jack?" Gibbs demanded.

"Jack? Jack Sparrow?" Elizabeth demanded, sounding angry. My confusion deepened. Did this girl, whoever she was, know _everyone?_

Will looked uncomfortable. "He fell behind," he said, not looking at us.

If my heart had stopped I would not have noticed. It couldn't be. He looked after himself too well, there was no way something could have happened to him! _Oh Jack, I never realized until now how much I loved you. And now it's too late._

"Keep to the code!" Gibbs reminded us.

I took a deep breath. Gibbs was right. We couldn't very well stay here. And, since Jack was gone, that made me acting captain of the _Interceptor._

"Weigh anchor!" I ordered. "Hoist the sails!"

I continued to shout orders, but my mind was elsewhere. The first order of business was to get out of here. It wouldn't do anyone any good to have Barbossa catch us hanging about. After we were on our way, I would go below deck, find Turner, and make him tell me exactly what had happened on the island.

_Hold on Jack. We won't desert you. I swear it.

* * *

_

Okay… review, pretty please? I can't say for sure when the next chapter will be up, check my profile for info.


	4. IV

Chapter 4 

Happy New Year, all! (Ok, it's a bit late, but oh bloody well.)

Thanks all for your reviews; they mean so much. Sorry it's been so long since the last chapter. Soon I'll be done with my other story and then I can devote all my time to this one.

* * *

"Turner!" I barked, finally catching sight of Will emerging from the galley. 

He turned to look at me. "What?"

I approached him. "What happened back there?"

"Well- Elizabeth told Barbossa her name was Turner, so he thought-" Will cleared his throat. "He thought that she was me- they knew my father had a child our age- so he was going to use her blood to break the curse. It didn't work, of course, and I managed to rescue her, and bring her back."

"What about Jack?" I asked, giving him a cold look.

The same uneasy look he had worn on deck returned to Will's face. "I told you. He fell behind."

"How?" I demanded sharply.

Will took a deep breath, and looked me straight in the eyes. "He was going to give me over to Barbossa in exchange for the _Black Pearl._ He was going to trade my life for that bloody ship, I couldn't let him do that!"

"No he wasn't!" I said before I could even think about it. "Jack wouldn't do that!"

"Well apparently he would, because-"

"Will! Shut up, and listen to what I 'ave to say."

He blinked at me.

I took a deep breath. Never in living memory had I been this angry. "One night, in Tortuga, me an' Jack, an' Gibbs were out drinking. Jack had a lot- 'e was pretty much sloshed by midnight. An' 'e started talking- told us a couple things he probably wouldn't 'ave if he'd been sober.

"He told us about a man named William Turner, who he said was the best friend he ever had. He said he loved him like a brother. He said he would've died for him."

Will shook his head mutely. "Jack said that?" he asked softly.

I nodded. "Jack was your father's best friend, an' you just gave him over to his worst enemy. That girl?" I shook my head. "I sure hope she was worth it."

I pushed past Will and walked quickly away, but I couldn't help but notice something like tears shining in his eyes.

* * *

Later that day

* * *

It was hot down in the _Black Pearl_'s brig. I and the rest of the _Interceptor's_ crew were stuffed into a small cell. There was barely room for all of us to fit if we stood. They had given Will his own cell. I envied the space he had, but I would rather be uncomfortable and alive than in his position. 

I didn't dwell on Will, however. As far as I was concerned, it was his fault we were in this mess. I couldn't care less if he died.

It was Jack my thoughts kept returning to. I had failed him. I had lost the Interceptor, and now he was marooned and we were captured. By Barbossa's agreement with Will he could not harm us, but he had already cheated by marooning Jack with the Swann girl. The fact that we were still here was promising, however, and I hoped that he would put us ashore at the next inhabited island.

But even if he did, could I get a boat and get back to that little island in time to save Jack? Since we had been locked in the brig for hours by now, I doubted I could even find it. I couldn't help him. Jack was on his own.

And I had never even gotten to tell him I loved him.

"You alright?"

I looked up at Gibbs, forcing a neutral look onto my face. "Yeah."

"He's gonna be okay, Ana," he said. "Jack's always okay."

"I'm sure you're right." I said. "I'm really not worried. I mean, he was marooned on that island ten years ago and he got away, right?" Being a pirate had taught me to lie easily and convincingly.

Gibbs looked at me suspiciously for a moment, and then nodded. "I 'ope the raft can fit two."

I looked at him blankly. "What?"

"The raft. Of sea turtles. That's how he escaped before."

"Right." I said, too weary to dispute the wild story.

"He'll be fine. You don't have to worry."

I shot an angry look in Will's direction. "You know, some conversations are meant to be private, Turner." I said sharply.

He held his hands up. "Sorry."

"Well, we don' all have precious blood that lets us get a cell to ourselves, do we? Some of us are just common prisoners." I retorted sharply. "So it's easy for you to soun' nice sitting pretty in there. Well I don't envy you any, Will Turner. Keep out o' conversations you wouldn' understan'!"

Gibbs gave me a sharp look, but I heard mutterings from the crew that suggested they shared my views.

To my surprise, however, Will was looking a me with pity in his eyes. "I understand more than you might think," he said softly.

"What're you on about?" I asked harshly.

He looked at me steadily. "You really care for Jack, don't you?"

I froze for an instant. How could he know? Was I really that obvious? "You're daft." I said, perhaps a little more sharply than necessary. "I'm upset 'cause the _Interceptor_ was gonna be mine, an' then Barbossa went an' blew it up. I'm not worried about Jack in the slightest."

"Mr. Gibbs seems to have a different opinion." Will replied evenly.

The rest of the crew was watching this exchange with interest.

"Mr. Gibbs is laboring under several insane delusions, one of which being that I actually give a damn about what happens to _Captain_ Jack Sparrow."

"But you don't?" it was clear Will didn't believe me.

"No." I said calmly. "I don't."

Will smiled knowingly. "Right. Of course not."

No one spoke for the rest of the night.

* * *

Then next evening, we were still locked up. Luckily they had left us a lantern, and Cotton had brought out a deck of cards, so at least we had a way to occupy ourselves. A poker game was going. So far we all owed Gibbs a good deal of money. He had won every game but seeing as no one could figure out how he was cheating in order call his bluff, (he stubbornly insisted we couldn't deal him out for cheating unless we could prove he was actually doing so) I would be surprised if we didn't all owe him our share of every ship we plundered for the next five years by the time we were set free. 

Suddenly, we heard footsteps on the stairs leading down to the brig.

"Shh!" Gibbs said, turning to look through the bars.

My heart sank as a soldier came running down the steps. _Out of the frying pan and into the fire!_ I thought. _How did the Navy get here?_

Then Gibbs cried "It's Elizabeth!"

And so it was, I realized. What had thrown me off was that she was dressed in a soldier's uniform. But if she was here- if she had, in fact, escaped the island- did that mean Jack was all right too? My heart leapt into my throat with surprising dexterity, and though I knew it would be a folly to hope, I could not help but do so.

Elizabeth approached our cell, and for the first time I noticed the keys in her hand. She began trying each one in the lock.

I shoved my way to the cell door. "Hey- what's going on out there? How did you get off the island?"

"Norrington found us," she replied. "I made a deal with him so that we could come here and rescue Will."

"You brought the Navy?" I demanded.

"What else was I supposed to do?" finally, she found the proper key and turned it in the lock. I shoved the door open and the crew and I hurried out of the cell. "Look- Barbossa's crew is attacking the Dauntless." Elizabeth told us. "He only left two men to guard the ship."

"We could take it." Gibbs said. "We outnumber them, it's perfect! Ana- we could do this."

The crew turned to look at me. I was acting captain; it was my call.

I took a deep breath. I locked eyes with Gibbs, and allowed myself a smile. "What are we waiting for?"

I knew it was what Jack would do.

* * *

It was as if it had been preordained by some otherworldly force. When we reached the deck, we discovered the two crewmembers left behind to guard the ship leaned over the railing, looking into the water at something. 

They never knew what hit them. We cut down one of the _Pearl's _lifeboats and let it swing out, knocking them into the ocean.

We rushed onto the deck, cheering.

"All of you with me!" Elizabeth yelled, running up to the lifeboat. "Will is in that cave and we must save him. Ready? And- heave!" she pulled on the rope attached to the boat. She stopped, only just realizing that we weren't with her. She turned to face us. "Please, I need your help, come on!"

Cotton's parrot squawked. "Any port in a storm," it croaked.

Gibbs turned to look at me, but I just stared miserably toward the island. I wanted nothing more than to go into that cave and help Jack, but I couldn't. I had a job to do, I was first mate of this damn ship, and Jack had ordered us to keep to the code. I had no choice, really.

"Cotton's right, we've got the _Pearl."_ Gibbs said, somewhat apologetically.

"And what about Jack, are you just gonna leave him?" she asked incredulously.

Shorty, the midget who we knew by no other name, said, "Jack owes us a ship."

"And there's the code to consider." Gibbs added.

"The code." Elizabeth said flatly. She looked at us. "You're pirates! Hang the code, and hang the rules!" When none of us responded, she added, desperately- "They're more like guidelines, anyway!"

"I'm sorry, miss." Gibbs said, looking at the floor.

"You're just going to leave them there? Barbossa will kill both of them!"

"Trying to appeal to our better nature?" I asked. "It won't work. We're pirates, remember? We don't have any. Jack can take care of himself." I swallowed the lump in my throat, praying this was true. "We've our own hides to worry about."

She shook her head. "Fine. I'll go alone."

"Ana." Gibbs turned to me. "We 'ave to get out of 'ere while the Navy's distracted."

I nodded. "I know." I said. "Alright, everyone! Weigh anchor and try an' do something with these sails! I want us out of here in ten minutes!" I yelled, and the crew ran to obey.

"Anamaria, right?"

I turned around to see Elizabeth looking at me with an odd expression.

"Yeah." I replied warily.

Gibbs had told me about Elizabeth; apparently she was the daughter of the governor of Port Royal, and as far as I was concerned that was another mark against her. I detested rich, beautiful women; they all reminded me too much of Mariana Santorini, whose ladies' maid and personal servant I had been for four horrible years. She was a stuck up little fool (and those are the most polite words I can think of) and I was sure Elizabeth couldn't be any better. Will was a fool for loving her.

"You're just going to leave Jack in that-"

"We been through this!" I interrupted. "Yeah, I am."

"Even though you care about him?" Elizabeth asked.

"What the hell does that mean?" I demanded.

"I heard you and Will talking. On the _Interceptor._"

"So?"

"I'm not stupid. I can tell that you-"

"I'm not!" I took a breath. "I am _not_ in love with Jack Sparrow, and I'm sick to _death_ of everyone telling me I am!"

I stormed off.

"Ana!"

"What?" I demanded, whirling around.

Gibbs looked taken aback at my mood. "Look, Ana, I know it's hard for you to leave Jack-"

"_Don't_ talk to me about Jack!" I fairly yelled. I had reached the end of that proverbial rope. "I _never_ want to hear his name again!"

With as much dignity as I could muster, I strode off towards the quarterdeck.

* * *

The next morning I was in the galley, searching for something to eat. It wasn't easy. Barbossa's crew hadn't eaten because of the curse, so they didn't have much in stock. Most of the things in the cupboards were rotten and moldy, but I'd found some hardtack that I thought would be all right, and, strangely, two bushels of ripe apples. 

"Good luck findin' food on this ship."

I turned to see Gibbs standing in the doorway.

"I found some stuff." I said. "But we need to restock, and soon."

"You gonna set a course for Tortuga, then?" he asked casually.

"Like hell. You know as well as I where we're goin'."

"Port Royal?" he asked walking inside and sitting down on at a table in the middle of the room.

"Aye."

"So, ah-" Gibbs grinned. "What 'appened to 'I never want to hear his name again'?"

"Oh, shut up." I said, not unkindly. "I was angry."

I grabbed two apples and pulled up another stool to the table.

"At who?" Gibbs asked, taking the apple I offered him.

"Miss spoiled-high-and-mighty." I said, taking a large bite to avoid answering any more questions.

"You know, not every rich girl is Mariana Santorini," he said.

"Yes, but the ones who aren't are the exception rather than the rule." I said wryly. "She's rich, she's beautiful, she's bloody _nobility-_ that's bad enough."

"She can't 'elp bein' who she is." Gibbs said through a mouthful of apple. He swallowed. "You think a girl like Mariana would of let us outta the brig?"

"Can we _not_ talk about this?" I asked, irritated again. I had absolutely _no_ wish to remember my past. At all.

"Okay then. What do you plan to do when we get to Port Royal?"

I sighed, running my hands through my hair. "Well," I said, wincing when I hit a tangle. "We'll figure that out when we get there, won't we?"

Gibbs had a heaven-help-me look on his face. "I suppose so.

* * *

"We're coming up on the town." I said tersely to Gibbs when he came up to me. 

"So I can see," he remarked.

"I don't even know what to do! I have no plan- do you have a plan?" I was nervous, and that was an understatement. Let's just say that I was gripping the wheel so hard I doubted my hands could come unclenched of my own volition.

We had to save Jack, but I had no idea how we were going to manage it. Fire on the fort and storm the town? Our crew was small, and Port Royal was practically a bloody military base- there was no was no way we could do it.

Gibbs shook his head.

"Excellent." I said sarcastically.

But as it turned out, we didn't need a plan. As we approached the harbor, someone tumbled off the top of the fort and began swimming towards us- it was Jack.

Gibbs threw him a rope as he swam up to the ship and he and a few others hoisted Jack out of the water. He swung over the deck, splashing water everywhere, before coming down on the quarterdeck. Gibbs walked up to him.

"Thought you were supposed to keep to the code?"

"We figured they were more actual guidelines," he replied, extending his hand.

Jack grasped it and pulled himself up.

Cotton shuffled forward and handed Jack his hat.

"Thank you." Jack said gratefully.

I had been leaning against the wheel, watching all this silently, but now I spoke. "Captain Sparrow." I said, addressing him by his proper title for the first time. I walked up and draped my coat around his shoulders. "The _Black Pearl_ is yours."

Jack walked over to the wheel and caressed it for a moment. He smiled, then noticed us watching him. "On deck you scabless dogs! Man the braces!" the rest was lost as the crew clamored to obey. I stood by the railing, watching the crew prepare the ship.

"Now, bring me that horizon." Jack said to himself. He hummed a tune I'd never heard. "And really bad eggs… drink up, me 'arties, yo ho!"

* * *

And yes, I'm going to be evil and leave you there. Just press the pretty purple-blue button and leave me a review why don't you? 


	5. V

Chapter Five 

Thanks to all that reviewed. And, erm- sorry for the delay, Writer's block, and all that. But I gave you a long chapter to make up for it.

DMC rocked, eh? Not as good as the first one, obviously (no Ana!), but pretty good even so. Actually, speaking of Ana… did anyone else glimpse her at that candlelight vigil for Jack towards the end? WAS that her? Weigh in, please, because it's driving me nuts.

* * *

We reached Tortuga that night. All except for a skeleton crew left to guard the ship went ashore to spend their share of the money we'd found on board. 

Jack, Gibbs, and I arrived at the Faithful Bride to find it as crowded as usual. Gibbs and I went to secure a table whilst Jack got drinks.

We had hardly sat down when a middle-aged woman in a blue dress approached us. She was running to chubby, and her hair was lank and tangled, but she managed to be pretty nonetheless.

"Gibbs! Where've you been lately, eh? Jus' goin' off wi'out a word! You 'ad me a bit concerned, I won't lie," she said

Gibbs cleared his throat. "I eh- ah- somethin' came up, you see… I was-"

A foul look appeared on the woman's face. "Say no more! I understand 'ow it is. I weren't born yesterday!" strangely, she punctuated this last with a dirty glance in my direction.

"Sophia!" he protested. "I don't think you see wha-"

"Oh I sees alrigh'. I sees plenty, an' I knows plenty about the less than kind ways a man can treat a lass- but I ne'er thought I'd be getting' any o' that from you! Well, jus' goes to show," Sophia finished, sounding thoroughly disgusted with Gibbs. "You gonna pass me by fer some young lass, I ain't givin' you so much as the time o' day from now on! We're through, yeh hear?" And without waiting for an answer, she stormed off.

Gibbs winced.

I blinked, still gaping after her. "You 'n her…?"

He nodded.

"And she thought that you and I…?"

Another nod.

I chuckled. "Wow. Here I was thinking I was the only one who could get away with talking to you like that!"

He smiled ruefully. "Yeah, well."

"But really! The two of you were going steady and all that?" I asked, intrigued despite myself. Somehow, the thought of _Gibbs_ in a romantic relationship just seemed- well, _odd._

He nodded. "Sophia… she's a great lass, but- well, there weren't much point in me seeing her anyway."

"Why's that?"

Gibbs sighed. "You know 'ow they say that everyone's got a person they're meant to be with? A soul mate, I've heard it called."

I smiled, thinking of Jack. "Yeah, I know."

"Well. I reckon- Ana, what me an' your mum had was- it was beautiful. And it was love, it was more than love, it was more than life itself. But… well, it's done now, an' there's not much point in me lookin' for love anymore."

I thought about what he'd said. To have something that wonderful be snatched away seemed horrid- more than that, downright awful and just plain unfair. I had gone through loosing someone I loved once already- but as much as I had loved Emmanuel, I had known even then that he wasn't 'the one'.

"I think I finally found that person." I said softly, hardly aware I was speaking aloud.

"You really love Jack that much?"

"Yes." I said frankly, and it was true. "Yes, I do. It's just… just indescribable. I _know_ that we can have something wonderful."

"If you ever tell 'im how you feel."

I sighed. "I'm afraid he'll laugh at me. And then what? I'll never be able to look him in the eye again!"

But Gibbs was shaking his head. "There ain't no shame in lovin' someone."

"The truth is… I don't know if I want to tell him. As it stands now, I'm content to love him in secret."

"Aye, but what if something 'appened? What if one of you were to have an accident, or get killed? There ain't no guarantees in the life of a pirate. Better to live each day like it's your last than go to the grave with regrets- or worse, watch someone you cared about go there without tellin' 'em how you feel."

I remembered how I had felt when Jack was marooned. I had thought he would die there on that little island, and relief hardly described what I had felt when I learned he had not. I'd panicked, then, thinking he would die without knowing how I felt for him. But as soon as I'd learned he was okay I'd gone right back to not wanting him to know the depth of my feelings.

"You don't think he could possibly know already?" I asked hopefully, then answered my own question. "No, I suppose not."

"Jus' tell 'im, Ana. Tell 'im, because if you don't, and something 'appens… you ain't never gonna forgive yourself."

"But what do I say?" I asked, at a loss. "I've never had to tell a man I loved him before- not like this. It's far easier to do it when _they_ approach _you_."

"I wouldn't count on _that_." Gibbs said.

My heartbeat quickened. "You don't think he loves me?" I asked, alarmed.

"I didn't say that, did I? I simply said that he ain't gonna be telling you if he does. You know how he is- keeps things inside, and who can blame 'im?"

I couldn't argue. "I still don't know how to tell him."

"How to tell who what?" Jack had arrived.

"There you are." I grumbled, taking one of the three bottles he held and choosing to ignore his question. "What took you so long?"

"Ah, it's not easy bein' famous, luv," he said heavily, taking a seat beside me and clutching his chest with his hand dramatically. "I 'ad to fight my way through droves of lonely women to get these drinks to you-"

"Right." I said sarcastically, taking a long swig of rum. "You're a legend in your own mind, you are."

Gibbs chuckled.

We fell into light conversation, and as we consumed more and more drink, conversation became less coherent- but much odder. Jack spun us a yarn about a small island he had run aground on years ago and the natives that lived there.

"And then they made me their chief," he finished, looking intently at his bottle of rum. He shook it, and then turned it upside down. Only a few drops came out.

" 'S empty," he muttered.

I laughed. "Whaddaya know? He's not just good lookin', he's smart as well!"

Jack smirked.

Gibbs stood. "Anybody want another?"

"I'll pass." I said. I was barely into my third pint, and already feeling the effects.

Jack, who drank rum like it was the elixir of bloody _life_, said, "Sure."

Gibbs walked, albeit unsteadily, towards the bar.

Jack turned to me. "I knew it."

"Knew what?"

"That you thought I was good looking."

"I never said that!"

"Yes you did! Jus' now."

I mentally reviewed the conversation, and winced. I had forgotten how rum loosened my tongue. That always seemed to be one of the details that had blurred its way into obscurity by the next morning.

Jack grinned. "I always knew you were attracted to me."

My heartbeat quickened. He knew? How?

"I saw it in your eyes," he continued.

"Saw- saw wha'?" I managed.

Jack slid over on the bench we were sitting on until he was right next to me. He leaned in close, putting his hand on my neck over my jawbone. I felt his lips against my ear.

Ordinarily I would have slapped him before he could get so close, but the rum was going to my head- and I was curious as to what the hell he was doing.

"Lust," he breathed.

Stunned, I pulled away. "What're you doing?" I asked, breathless.

He looked at me for a moment, then smiled.

To this day I cannot recall the instant between. I only know that suddenly I was kissing him, passionately- and joy; oh joy- he was kissing me back.

When we finally pulled apart, we were panting.

"Jack… I- I want you-"

And then he was kissing me again, pulling my body against his and holding me close…

And then I was won over, if I hadn't been before. All my life I had been something else- a worker, a pirate, a slave- tonight, I would be a woman. Tonight, I would be _me._

When the kiss ended Jack released me.

"What do you say we go back to the _Pearl?_" I smiled. "It might be a little more… private, eh?"

Jack chuckled. "Aye."

He took my hand and led me through the crowd. As we neared the door, I caught Gibbs' eye. He smiled at me, and I grinned back.

And then we were out the door and into the cool night air, hurrying down the main road that would take us to the docks. Jack put his arm around my waist and I grinned at him. I was nearly giddy with happiness. I knew that the rum was contributing to my happy mood, but I didn't care. I just wanted one perfect night. I wanted this tonight, whatever might come.

When we reached the _Pearl _we hastened to Jack's cabin. As soon as the door closed behind us, Jack pulled me against him, kissing me fiercely.

I could hardly focus on anything except for his lips against mine, fierce and insistent as he slid his tongue into my mouth. I returned the kiss with equal passion- the tumult of the last few days had not lessened my want for him.

When we finally pulled apart to catch our breath, he was smiling at me. I grinned back and, in one motion, pulled my loose shirt off.

We quickly stripped off the rest of our clothes and fell onto the bed.

Jack kissed me again. He was lying beside me now, propped up on one elbow. I lay on my back, one hand at my side, the other toying with the beads in his hair.

"Well?" I asked, smiling. "What're you waiting for?"

"Sometimes getting there is half the fun," he replied. By now his hand had found its way to my breast. He gently pulled on my nipple, and I smiled at him.

"D'you wanna wait?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not really," he admitted.

"Then don't." I whispered, pulling him in for another kiss. He wrapped his arms around me, and moved so that he straddled me. His other hand made its way down and between my legs. He smiled when he felt the wetness there.

"Eager, are we?" he asked, smiling.

"I've wanted this for a long time." I admitted. My brain told me that I should stop now, just shut up, because I had already given him too much power over me, so I changed the subject. "Jack, please…"

He looked into my eyes then, locking those amazing brown orbs with mine. I stared into his beautiful eyes for a moment-

And then every thought was driven from me as Jack suddenly entered me. I gasped. "Fuck!" I exclaimed, involuntarily.

He smiled. "You alright?"

I nodded, mouth dry. "Aye."

He began to move then, slow strokes at first, increasing the pace. I bucked my hips up to meet his thrusts.

"Faster…" I breathed.

His brown eyes blazed with intensity then, and he began to thrust harder into me. I moaned.

I cried out as I climaxed, moments later, Jack reached his peak as well.

When Jack had gotten his breath back, he slowly pulled out of me and lay beside me.

"That was… incredible." I murmured.

Jack smirked, and I rolled my eyes. "Oh, really. Y'know, your problem is that you're too- too, uh…"

"Full o' myself?" he asked.

"Aye. Full o' yerself." I giggled. The rum was going to my head.

Jack stroked my breast gently, and I smiled at him. This was true happiness, being with him- yes, even though I hadn't actually told him how I felt yet. That could come later. For now, it was enough to just lie in his arms…

At first I was unsure of where I was when I awoke. But I remembered quickly enough, and smiled. I rolled over to see if Jack was awake yet-

Only to find that I was alone in the bed.

I was confused, and a little hurt. But then I realized that I had no idea what time it was. If it was late, Jack had probably just decided to let me sleep, and gotten up himself. Yes, that must be it.

I got out of bed and pulled my clothes back on. My shirt was draped across Jack's desk, and when I picked it up, I saw a gold pocket watch underneath. If the time was accurate, it was almost nine o clock.

I left the cabin, and, finding the deck deserted, made my way to the galley. To my disappointment I found that it was empty, save for Gibbs.

"You seen Jack?" I asked.

He hesitated. "He went into town," he finally said.

I frowned. "Oh."

"So… what exactly happened? Y'know, last night."

"Well, I really doubt you want the details, Gibbs." I said wryly.

"No!" he said hastily. "I just… wondered."

"Well, we came back here and…" I blushed. "You know!"

"Uh huh. Did you tell 'im?"

"Tell him what?"

" 'Ow you feel."

"Um. No. Not really."

"Hmm."

"I know what you're thinking, but- I mean… he _does_ care, doesn't he? He has to, I know he does!" I bit my lip, already regretting this moment of weakness.

Gibbs sighed. "I'm sorry, Ana."

And with that, he walked out the door.

* * *

My worst fears proved true. When I next saw Jack, he treated me no differently than he ever had. As much as I hated to admit it, Gibbs had been right. Jack apparently hadn't thought I was good for anything but sex. 

Saying that this angered me would be an excessive understatement. Now I cursed the day when I agreed to be Jack's first mate, because it meant that it was impossible to avoid him. So I treated our relationship as what it was- business. Jack clearly knew that I was angry with him, but did not know why, and I didn't intend to tell him. I even toyed with the idea of leaving the _Pearl_ for good.

But I couldn't do that, not yet. Because yes, Jack had been a complete and absolute ass, but I couldn't imagine how I could live my life if he wasn't in it.

A month passed. Even my animosity towards Jack couldn't spoil this happy time. It seemed that ships were only too eager to surrender with a mere glimpse of us, due to the fearsome legends of the _Pearl._

"Almost isn't any fun anymore." Jack said one day. "Almost."

We were on the _Pearl_'s quarterdeck, observing the merchant ship before us run up a white flag of surrender before we were even in firing range.

I laughed. "Aye. I'd almost be glad to see the Navy, if it meant a little action."

He grinned. "That's 'ow you 'n I are alike, luv. The crew, they're 'appy with the shiny bits. But you 'n me… we're in it fer the adventure."

"I'm in it for a lotta reasons." I replied without thinking.

Jack grinned.

"Now, I didn't mean it like that! C'mon, Jack-"

"Can ya blame me fer thinkin' it, luv? You seemed pretty damn happy that night in Tortuga."

"Oh, so now you remember."

He licked his lips sensually, and gave me a look that made me melt inside. "Never forgot tha', luv."

I swallowed the sizeable lump in my throat, and quickly banished my memories of that passionate night. "Sure seems like it, the way you go about ignorin' me."

"Ignorin' you? Jus' who's been mad at the other these past weeks?"

I shook my head angrily. "Forget it. I guess I should've listened to the girls in Tortuga, eh? Seems to me like Giselle 'ad it right- you fuck 'em an' then you throw 'em away."

Hurt flitted across his face, but I didn't care. He'd hurt me a lot, and turnabout was fair play. "Ana," he protested. "It ain't like tha-"

"The hell it isn't." I interrupted. "I'll be on the poop deck, should you need me, Captain." I took care to spit his title in his face.

It should feel good, telling him off, I told myself as I stomped off. It should feel fucking fantastic.

But I felt even emptier inside than I had before.

* * *

Please review, and the next chapter should be up within a reasonable amount of time. Maybe. I hope. 


	6. VI

Chapter 6 

Thank you all for your reviews. I love getting feedback; it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside!

I don't know if any of you are fans of Jack/Will, but I put up a one shot that, although it isn't technically slash, definitely leans in that direction. So, if you like that sort of thing, check it out!

Oh, and I might not be entirely accurate in my description of the uses of Queen Anne's lace. I did a little research, but I'm not an expert or anything. So feel free to correct me if I got anything wrong.

x x x

"I'm takin' you to the doctor when we get t' Tortuga." Gibbs said, firmly.

I took a deep breath. I was bent over the side of the ship, having just emptied the contents of my stomach over the starboard railing. "Yer doin' no such thing."

"Ana, this has been goin' on for weeks now!"

"Just a couple! I'm probably just sick." I insisted, raising my head and leaning heavily against the railing for support.

"Well, if you are then you should still see a doctor," he insisted.

"What doctor's gonna treat a fucking pirate, Gibbs?" I asked wearily.

"He's a friend o' mine."

"I don't like doctors." I protested weakly. I was more tired than I'd like to admit, something that had been happening more and more of late.

"Gibbs is right. You're goin' to the damn doctor."

I turned away. "What do you want?"

"I noticed you throwing up again." Jack said.

I snorted. "And you've come to inquire after my health. How nice."

"You look terrible," he observed.

I fixed him with an angry glare. "You know just how to talk to the ladies." I said, sarcastically.

"You should go lie down."

The prospect was immensely appealing. "I'll be fine." I said, with more conviction than I felt.

This was the most I'd said to Jack since our argument two weeks ago. If I had been mad at him before, now I was livid. Despite his protests, I knew for certain now that it had been just sex to him. And though my heart had been breaking before, it was now in pieces.

I was a fool to love him, and I wanted nothing more than to leave the _Pearl_ as soon as possible. Life without Jack would be painful, yes… but a hell of a lot less painful than life with him. I had hoped, before, hoped that somehow we could make it work. But now that hope was gone.

"C'mon, Ana." Gibbs said, taking me by the arm. "Let's get you to your cabin."

The ship rocked and I stumbled, almost falling. Gibbs caught me and managed to keep me upright.

"Easy, lass," he said. "Let's go."

I was too weak to resist by now. My head was pounding, and my legs shook. "Aye." I conceded. "Maybe I should take a lie down."

"That's it," Gibbs said, leading me away.

The last thing I saw before I went below decks to my tiny cabin was Jack, watching me with an emotion in his eyes I couldn't read.

x x x

"_This_ is a doctor's office?" I asked, staring at the shabby house in disbelief.

"Aye." Gibbs replied. "Doctor Landis. Old friend o' mine."

"Why am I not surprised? The place looks like a dump."

It was true. The brown paint was chipped away in several places to reveal a sickly yellow color underneath. The windows were grimy and looked like they hadn't been washed in months, at least.

"It's a lot nicer on the inside." Gibbs advised as we walked to the door.

"I certainly hope so." I muttered, wondering what sort of doctor would take up residence in Tortuga.

But Gibbs was right. The room we entered was painted a lovely shade of blue. White curtains hid the grimly windows from view, and there was a small fire in the fireplace.

"Why's it such a dump on the outside?" I wondered aloud.

"Helps us blend in," a voice replied.

I turned to see a young blonde woman, who couldn't be much older than I was.

"Glad to see you, Gibbs," she said, smiling. "What've you been up to lately?"

"You know how it is, Marie." Gibbs replied. "Little bit o' this little bit o' that."

"So those rumors that you've taken up with Jack Sparrow, they're just rumors?" she tried to sound casual, but there was a hint of a challenge in her tone.

Gibbs hesitated. "Well, Jack's an old friend-"

"Heavens, girl, let the man alone."

Gibbs grinned sheepishly. "Inquisitive daughter you got there, doc."

Dr. Landis shook his head. "She'll be the death of me yet," he said, not unkindly.

The man certainly looked like a doctor. He was short, with grey hair, a potbelly, and a rather obvious bald spot. He wore a small pair of spectacles.

"Sorry, Father." Marie said, not looking very repentant. "So, tell me Gibbs, what brings you here? And who's your friend?"

"This is Anamaria, she's an old friend." Gibbs said. "She hasn't been feeling well lately, we were hoping your father could let us know what's wrong with her."

"Of course." Landis said. "Why don't you come with me?"

We followed him into an adjacent room. It was painted the same shade of blue, but this room sported a couch, with an armchair facing it.

"Please, have a seat," the doctor said, gesturing towards the couch.

Gibbs and I sat. The doctor sat down in the chair. "So tell me, miss, what exactly has been wrong?"

My eyebrows rose at being called 'miss'- it was the first time in my life the nicety had been applied to me. "Well…" I said. "I actually don't think it's that much to be worried about, I've just been throwing up for the last few weeks."

"Constantly?" he asked,

"More often than not." I replied. "Although it usually goes away by late afternoon."

"Is that your only symptom?" he asked.

"I've been pretty tired, too, but tha's normal for me."

Dr. Landis nodded. "When did the vomiting begin?"

"Almost three weeks ago." I replied.

"What's your diet like? Is it varied?"

"It's good enough. Bread, meat, cheese, fruit- lemons, mostly, so I know it ain't scurvy."

"Hmm. And you've been wearier than is normal?"

"A bit."

"Do you feel the need to lie down in the mid afternoon?"

"Yes."

"Have you been urinating frequently?" he asked.

"Yes," I said, surprised that he seemed to know my symptoms so well.

"Have your breasts been sore or swollen?"

"A little sore, yeah." I said.

"Ah," he said. "Tell me, miss, and please do forgive the intimate questions- did you miss your last monthly blood flow?"

"Yes, actually. But that's not too uncommon for me, it happens sometimes."

"I see," he sighed. "I shall have to ask you yet another question of a personal nature- have you had sexual intercourse in the last six to twelve weeks?"

"Uh-" I mentally counted the weeks since that night Jack and I had spent together. It had been seven weeks. "Yes." I said. "Why?"

"I think that you are- shall we say-" he sighed. "In the family way."

"You think I'm pregnant?" I asked, alarmed.

"It would explain your symptoms," he said gently.

"Fuck." I swore.

"I'll leave the two of you alone for a moment." Landis said, exiting the room.

I turned to Gibbs. "What am I gonna do?"

He looked at a loss, and I wondered if he was remembering my mother, when she had been in this situation. She had relied on him then, and he had protected her as best he could. I didn't doubt he'd do the same for me. As much as I hated to admit it, I relied on Gibbs too. After all, he was the closest thing I had to a father.

He took a deep breath. "Well… you can tell Jack, and let him take care of you. Or, you could not tell him, and get yourself some Queen Anne's lace…" he trailed off.

I thought about it. Not the first choice- that was out of the question. But the second… the second option was very tempting.

Queen Anne's lace was a flower that, when ground into a powder and taken with water, could prevent contraception- or, early on in a pregnancy, get rid of the unborn child entirely.

I had a casual friendship with Giselle. Due to her profession, of course she would have some of the herb. I could get some from her, and all this could go away.

I didn't want to be a mother, and I sure as hell didn't want to be the mother to Jack's child. But I knew that I couldn't dispose of this child like garbage.

"What if I choose neither? What if I choose to take care of myself?"

Gibbs shook his head. "No. You don't want to tell Jack, that's fine. But I'm not letting you do this alone."

I shook my head. "I'm not letting you give up your life."

"I can put it on hold till the child's born."

"What will you tell Jack?" Normally I would have tried to argue with Gibbs, tried to tell him that I didn't need his help. But in this instance this was obviously not the case, and suddenly I felt incredibly weary, as if I had aged ten years in the last few minutes. I needed help, and for once I was going to admit it.

"I'll make somethin' up, an ill sister I 'ave to stay with for a while. I'll say you're going with me."

I nodded. "Okay."

"Do you want to have the baby here?"

I shook my head. "No, I need to go somewhere else. Kingston, Nassau… anywhere."

"Port Royal's closest."

"That'll be fine." I said dully.

Gibbs gave me a reassuring smile. "We'll get through this, Ana. You'll see."

x x x

End Part One

x x x

Okay, short chapter, I know. And no, it's not over yet! Just leave me a nice review, mmkay?


	7. II:I

Part 2, Chapter 1

Okay. Here we go with Part 2. Let me just say this- it is Part 2, Chapter 1 instead of Chapter 7 for a reason. Some stuff has happened since the last chapter, as you'll soon see. Just have an open mind, okay? It might appear as if I'm committing an age-old fanfiction blunder (to put it nicely) but I know what I'm doing. So have faith, dear readers, have faith.

And the pirate song is very probably not period accurate. I learned it when I was working at a summer camp last summer and fell in love with it. I've been looking for a way to put it into a story ever since… couldn't resist, mate.

Oh, and one more thing- (then we'll get to the story, I swear) if any of you watch House, MD, I just put up a little House/Wilson oneshot… check it out!

-

"When I was one I sucked my thumb the day I went to sea! I jumped aboard a pirate ship and the cap'n said to me: We're going this way, that way, forward, backward, over the Irish Sea! A juicy plum to fill my tum and that's the life for me!"

I would have smiled Jody's spirited singing, if the girl had not been almost an hour late from the market. As it was, I was waiting on the doorstep with a cross look on my face.

"When I was two I buckled my shoe the day I went to sea! I jumped aboard a pirate ship and the cap'n said to me: We're going this way, that way, forward, backward, over the Irish Sea! A juicy plum to fill my tum and that's the life for me! When I was three I climbed a tree-" Jody broke off as she saw the look on my face. "Oh. Hi mum! I, uh, got everything you wanted at the market."

I fixed my fifteen-year-old daughter with a firm glare. "Do you know what time it is, young lady? You're late- again."

Jody gave me a guilty look. "Sorry, mum. I just got distracted, is all."

"Distracted? Does that mean the butcher's boy again?" I asked suspiciously.

"No! I told you, he's seeing that girl from the Jones' plantation now. I was just listening to the gossip."

"Really." I said, unconvinced. I remembered no story about a girl from the Jones' plantation, and had a sneaking suspicion that Jody had been with the butcher's boy after all.

"Yeah!" she sounded excited. "They're saying that the _Black Pearl_ was sighted off the coast last night!"

"Oh." I said, abruptly loosing interest.

So they'd come back. The last time I'd seen Gibbs, he'd told me that Jack was planning on sailing to Singapore, and that they would be gone for a long time. But now they were back in these waters. Jack had undoubtedly come to visit Will and Elizabeth, and Gibbs would go ashore with him as well, telling Jack he was 'visiting his sister.'

I took the basket of groceries from Jody and went inside our small house to start making dinner.

Jody didn't appear to notice my abrupt change in mood. "Everybody started talking about Jack Sparrow again. I heard that he's immortal- is that true, do you think?"

"I don't know, Jody. Why don't you ask Gibbs next time he comes to visit? He knows all those legends better than I do." I told her as we entered the kitchen. I walked over to the pot of water I had over the stove and began throwing in some spices.

Jody's face blanched. "Yeah, if he _ever_ comes back."

I didn't reply. Jody had no idea that her 'Uncle Gibbs' (as she fondly called him) was a crewmember on the _Black Pearl_, just as she didn't know who her father really was. I felt bad keeping the truth from her, but I knew that I was doing the right thing.

It was hard, though. Jody had always looked more like me than Jack, but as she had grown, she had come to resemble him more. She had his eyes, and she could talk her way out of anything, just like Jack could.

"Mum?"

I blinked, bringing myself back to reality. "What's that, dear?"

"Someone's at the door."

_That'll be Gibbs, then._ I thought. "Go get it for me, would you?"

Reluctantly, Jody got up and went to the door.

I busied myself with making soup, thinking how glad I was that Gibbs was here at last.

I made some money by knitting and sewing and making clothes, but I wasn't very good at it. The truth of it was that there was no respectable way for a free black woman to earn money in Port Royal, and I'd rather take money from Gibbs than demean myself by turning to an… _alternative_ form of employment.

"Mum?" Jody called from the other room. "Someone here to see you."

So it wasn't Gibbs. I set down the spoon I had been using to stir the soup and walked into the other room.

I froze in my tracks when I saw who was at the door.

"Jody, go keep an eye on the soup, would you?" I asked, a note of panic creeping into my voice.

"Okay," she said. She gave me an odd look, but left the room.

I wouldn't put it past her to listen at the door, so I stepped outside and closed the door behind me, staring our visitor in the face as I did so.

He me a curt nod. "Anamaria."

My gut clenched. I had dreaded this moment for a long time, but had fervently hoped that it would never come to pass. "Captain Sparrow." I said coldly.

Jack hadn't changed much in fifteen years. The clothes he wore were similar to the ones he'd worn then, and the same hat and bandanna were on his head. Beads still decorated his hair, which was beginning to gray. A few more lines adorned his face. Even though Jack would be in his forties now, he didn't look it.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jack didn't seem angry, and this was what scared me the most.

"Tell you what?"

I saw cold fury in Jack's eyes. "Don't give me that bullshit, I know very well tha's my daughter in there!"

I scoffed. "Your daughter? How do you know she's yours? What makes you so sure I haven't got a husband an' three other children by now?"

Jack gave me a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Gibbs told me."

I started. "What?" I exclaimed.

Gibbs? It couldn't be! He had promised me that day in Dr. Landis' house that he wouldn't tell Jack the truth if I didn't want him to, and he had kept his promise for fifteen years. Why would he break it now?

"I don't believe you." I said quickly.

That grim smile was still on his face; as if he knew he was hurting me but didn't care. "Who else knew? As I understand, it was your little secret, jus' the two o' you. Even Jody herself don't know."

He was right, of course. Gibbs had been the only one I had trusted with the secret of Jody's paternity.

"Why-" I cleared my throat. "Why would he tell you?"

Jack shrugged. "You never thought 'e'd get tired o' lying for you? Rather presumptuous of you to assume 'is loyalties were to you an' you alone."

I wasn't buying _that._ "He's kept my secret for fifteen years. You expect me to believe he just got tired of it all of a sudden?"

"He never once tried to get you to reconsider? Never once told you that 'e was tempted to tell me the truth?"

It made sense, I realized with a sinking feeling. Gibbs had kept my secret, but he hadn't been happy about it. He had told me more than once that there would be hell to pay if Jack found out. But I had told him in no uncertain terms that I didn't intend for that to happen. I had though that he respected me enough to keep quiet. Apparently I had been wrong.

"Well, then." I said, trying not to sound as defeated as I felt. "You know. Now you can leave."

"You expect me to leave without meeting my daughter?"

"What excuse am I going to give her for the infamous Jack Sparrow being here?"

"_Captain_ Jack Sparrow."

I rolled my eyes. "I'd forgotten how vain you could be."

"I'd forgotten how insufferable you could be!" he snapped. "Now I'm goin' to see my daughter!"

He made to open the door, but I stopped him. "Wait! You can't tell her. Go in, talk to her if you like, but _don't_ tell her you're her father." I was begging now. "Please."

He looked at me. "I intend to be the one person who _doesn't_ lie to her. I ain't gonna keep up this charade jus' so you can save face."

"For God's sake! If all I was worried about was saving face, you'd be inside right now. There are reasons I didn't tell you, or didn't you consider that?"

"You were furious at me when you left with Gibbs from Tortuga tha' day. I figured it was because you'd found out you were pregnant."

I scoffed. "Right. I was mad at you for knocking me up, so I kept our child a secret for fifteen years. Even _I'm_ not that cruel."

"Why, then?"

I sighed. "You aren't exactly the most well liked man in the Caribbean, are you? You've got quite a few enemies. Enemies who'd be real happy to get their hands on the daughter of _Captain_ Jack Sparrow."

Jack didn't appear to be concerned. "So you've been keeping my daughter a secret from me out of misguided maternal instinct?"

"I love her! I wanted to protect her!" I protested.

Jack shook his head grimly. "No, Ana. You wanted to protect yourself."

And with that, he shoved me aside and walked into the house. I quickly followed. Jody was standing in the kitchen doorway, looking concerned. "Everything all right, mum?" she asked.

Jack gave me a pointed look, but I couldn't bring myself to say anything.

He turned to Jody. "Hello, lass. You'd be Jody, then."

She nodded, warily. "Who're you?"

"I, my dear lass, am Captain Jack Sparrow." Jack said, looking like he was enjoying himself very much.

"Jack Sparrow? _The_ Jack Sparrow?" she asked, eyes wide.

Jack grinned. "The one an' only, luv."

"Why are you here?" she asked, sounding excited. "Are you on the run from Admiral Norrington and need a place to hide, or something?"

Jack's smile widened. "It grieves me to say that my purpose here is nowhere near that dramatic. I came by to have a word with your mother."

Jody's brow furrowed. "How do you know my mother?"

Jack raised an eyebrow and glanced in my direction. "You mean she 'asn't told you what she got up to before you were born?"

"Jody knows everything she needs to know." I said sharply.

Jack regarded me solemnly. "I thought we had been through that already. It seems you've been keepin' more from her than I thought."

"Surely you didn't expect me to tell her-"

But Jack wasn't listening. "Jody, I think we should sit down."

There was a small seating area set up in the corner of the room, and each of us sat in one of the three chairs- I on the right, Jack on the left, and Jody between us.

Jody turned to me. "Mum, what's he talking about?"

"Honey, there are some things that happened before you were born that I never told you about." I said with some difficulty.

"Like what?"

I hesitated, glancing at Jack. His face appeared expressionless, but I could see a myriad of emotions in his eyes.

"Well, I told you that my fiancée at the time, Emmanuel, and I escaped from the plantation we were enslaved on." I said, addressing Jody and trying my best to pretend that Jack wasn't there.

She nodded. "And then the two of you went to Tortuga, and Emmanuel died and then you met my father, but he was lost at sea, so Uncle Gibbs brought you here and you had me."

I shifted slightly. "I… I left a few things out of the story."

She frowned. "Like what?"

"Well, after Emmanuel and I left the plantation, we really did go to Tortuga. But we had to have a way to support ourselves. We needed a way to get money fast, and Emmanuel figured that piracy was the way to do it. But I… I didn't want him to leave me behind, so I disguised myself as a man and went with him."

"So… is that how you met my father?" she asked.

I sighed. "Honey, your father wasn't a merchant sailor named Jonathon Brown."

"He was a pirate?" Jody asked, eyes wide.

I nodded miserably. "Emmanuel died when our ship was captured. He was hanged. They wanted to hang me too, but your Uncle Gibbs helped me to get away."

"Because he knew my grandmother?"

I nodded. "Yes, that's right."

"So… who was my father really? And why didn't you _tell_ me? Was he wanted by the-" she broke off suddenly, and I saw dawning comprehension in her eyes. She turned to face Jack. "It's you, isn't it? You're my father?"

Jack nodded. "I'm sorry that you didn't know sooner," he said in as gentle a voice as I'd ever heard him use. "But I just found out myself. Your mother kept it a secret. When she left my crew, I had no idea that she was pregnant."

"You sailed with him?" she asked.

"I was his first mate." I said softly.

"Why didn't you ever tell me any of this?" Jody asked. She was beginning to sound hysterical, and I cursed Jack for forcing me to reveal all this at once.

"I wanted to keep you safe, sweetie." I replied quickly. "Your father has a lot of enemies, and-"

"But you _lied_ to me!" she exclaimed, sounding on the verge of tears. "You didn't trust me enough to know!"

I shook my head. "Jody, no. That's not what-"

"No! You _lied!_" she cried, jumping up. Jody had finally lost her battle with tears, and she began to sob. She ran from the room.

I started to go after her, but Jack stopped me. "You've done enough," he said, and followed her away.

I sank down in my chair. Never had I felt so helpless. _Damn you, Jack Sparrow!_ I thought. _Damn you to hell and back._

It was only then I realized that I was crying.

-

Jack and Jody stayed out in the garden for a long time, talking. I knew that they needed this time, but I couldn't help but feel jealous. I had raised my daughter for fifteen years- I was the one who had been there for the scraped knees and the nightmares and the tears- but Jack had been able to sweep in and steal Jody's affection just like that.

As a child, Jody had gobbled up adventure stories. She had grown up reading _The Iliad_ and _The Odyssey_. Whenever Gibbs came to visit, she would sit at his feet for hours as he told her all the outrageous myths he knew. But soon his supply was exhausted.

Pirate activity was nowhere near as common when Jody was growing up as it had been when I served on the _Pearl_. The Golden Age of Piracy was drawing to a close- but that didn't mean that it was over. Stories spread through Port Royal of the daring exploits of the last pirates- Charles Vane, Ned Low, 'Calico Jack' Rackham- and, naturally, Jack Sparrow.

So it was only a matter of time until Jody asked Gibbs to tell her a story about pirates. At first he was reluctant, but when I gave my grudging consent, he happily embarked on tales of Sir Henry Morgan. He soon moved on to other pirates- Henry Avery, Steve Bonnet, William Kidd, and the great Blackbeard- though he left that one until she was older.

Neither did Gibbs neglect tales of women who had flown the black flag- Anne Bonny and Mary Read, who had sailed with Jack Rackham and turned out to be the bravest of his crew; Grace O'Malley, who had taken over her husband's shipping company and turned to piracy to take revenge for the Irish from the English who as good as enslaved them; and the wife of Cheng I, known by no other name, who, after her husband's death, took command of his fleet of junks, which numbered in the thousands.

"Ye see lass, you'll find all manner o' men sailing under the skull an' bones." Gibbs had told her one evening, while I sat silently knitting. "But there's only one sort o' woman brave enough to risk it. A woman who's been restrained, who's been beat down by society. It happens to many. But this sort, this sort says no. She takes 'er life in 'er own hands, an' damn to the depths whoever tells her no. The sort o' woman who'll take up a life such as that- that's a woman to be proud of knowing, if you're lucky enough to meet one."

"Stupid buggers, the whole lot." I muttered. "Gibbs, can you think of one woman pirate who weren't following her man?"

He hesitated. "Grace O'Malley didn't exactly. It was 'er father who first took her to sea."

I rolled my eyes. "An' then her stepmother sent her to a convent an' that would've been the end of it, if she hadn't been fortunate enough to marry a man with his own merchant fleet. I know the stories just as well as you do. All those women got where they were because of their love for their men folk. An' if you love your fellow enough to risk a hanging for him, you're daft."

"I think it's romantic." Jody said, stubbornly. She had been eleven at the time, and utterly unswayable once she had an opinion.

"You wait till you've grown a bit." I told her. "You'll see what I mean soon's you fall in love. When you love a man, you'll do anything for him. Then it all ends, and you think you're a damn fool for loving him. You're always alone when you gotta pick up the pieces of your heart."

But Jody had grown since then, and still she loved the tales. She could spend hours with Gibbs absorbing every detail of piratical life he cared to tell of. She never caught on that Gibbs was a pirate himself, for which I was glad. As far as she was concerned, he was a merchant sailor, just like I told her her father had been.

So it was no wonder now that Jody readily loved the father she had just met. Truth be told, she had loved him for years now, along with all the other pirates of legend. I hadn't been able to keep her from it, as much as I wanted to protect her.

When I finally went to bed that night, Jody and Jack were still outside talking. I couldn't help but feel like I had failed. Failed in my attempt to keep my daughter safe. Failed in my attempt to keep her from becoming like me.

-

The next morning, Jack was nowhere to be seen. He must have left late last night, for which I was glad. He'd probably gone to spend the night at the Turner's mansion. I wondered if he'd told them about Jody. I knew Will and Elizabeth would be quick to condemn me. After all, I hadn't liked either of them, and I was sure the feeling had been mutual.

Jody stayed in bed late, and around ten I finally went to rouse her.

When I entered the room, I squinted against the sunlight streaming through the curtains. If Jody had still been in bed, she would've had the curtains drawn, I knew.

Before I even saw the empty bed, I knew that she had gone.

The note on her pillow was short.

_Mum-_

_I can't stay here anymore. I have to leave. I'm mad at you for lying to me, but I know you thought you were doing the right thing. I have an opportunity I've wanted for a long time now. Dad asked me if I wanted to sail on the _Pearl_ with him. I said yes. I'll come back to visit. Don't try to find me._

_Jody_

I sank down on the bed. I wanted to say that I was in shock, but somehow I had known this all morning. When eight o clock came and went without Jody rising, I had known deep inside that she had gone with Jack.

I clenched my hand into a fist, crumpling up the note. _Don't try to find me_, she had said, but I had to. There was no other option. If I didn't… then I didn't want to think of what would become of my daughter.

In half an hour, I had changed into men's clothing and my old hat that hid my face, and was down at the docks searching for a ship bound for Tortuga.

-

Okay. I know what you're all thinking. I know 'Jack's daughter' is a big no-no. Especially 'Jack's pirate daughter'. But I'm really committed to keeping her from becoming a Mary-Sue. I'm being careful. And her character WILL be a driving influence in the plot, as you can already tell.


	8. II:II

Part 2, Chapter 2

Sorry for the delay. Real life got in the way, and I needed to work out exactly what I wanted to do with this chapter. I made an outline once, but I've deviated from that so much it's useless now. So I had to do some (gasp) thinking. And I was being lazy, too. But I think I've gotten back into the swing of things now.

And if anybody's into Phantom of the Opera, I put up an Erik/Nadir one-shot a little while ago that sniff nobody's reviewed yet. So if you're so inclined, head on over and read it!

Double, triple props if anybody catches the Dr. Who reference.

-

I arrived in Tortuga a few days later. To my dismay, the _Black Pearl_was not in the harbor.

The Faithful Bride was no longer in business, but there was another tavern in its place, called the Bad Wolf. I walked right in and requested a room.

The barkeep looked me over. "You got the coin for it?" It was clear from his tone that he assumed the answer would be to the negative.

I actually didn't have very much money, but I'd thought of how to deal with this. "Does Jack Sparrow have a tab here?"

He raised a brow. "Sparrow? Aye."

I gave him a grim smile. "He'll be paying for all my expenses when he next makes port."

-

I waited for two long, agonizing weeks for the _Pearl_ to make an appearance. Every night I lay awake, terrified that something had happened to Jody. I felt reasonably confident that Jack would protect her- but since he'd dragged her off in the first place, I couldn't be sure. Besides, he couldn't watch her every second, and I knew better than most how drawn she was to trouble.

In the daylight hours, my fears fled, and I spent my time stewing over my anger at Jack for taking my daughter away from me, as well as at Gibbs for telling him of her existence in the first place.

I'd asked around about the _Pearl_ and how often she made port. The general consensus was that she appeared sporadically. She hadn't been seen in Tortuga since she'd departed for Singapore, and that had been months ago.

Surely Jack would need to restock the ship soon. Although it was feasible to obtain necessary supplies by raiding other vessels, there was no assurance that whatever was needed would be available. Coming into a safe port for new supplies was the smartest thing to do.

And then one day, halfway through the third week, I got lucky. I had come down from my room for breakfast. The bartender saw me come in and called, "Guess we'll find out if you can pay your bill now, eh?"

"Why d'you say that?" I asked, not realizing what he meant.

He jerked his head in the direction of the harbor. "That ship you've been askin' round for, the one what belongs to Cap'n Sparrow? The _Black Pearl,_ was it? She sailed into the harbor not 'alf an hour ago."

I was instantly alert. "She did? Did anybody come off yet?"

The bartender shrugged. "Dunno. Were Jacob there who saw it," he said, gesturing to an aging black man in the corner.

I turned to him, and he shook his head. "Crew's still on board, so far's I can tell. I know Cap'n Sparrow meself, an' this'll be the first place 'e comes when he gets off the _Pearl._"

I nodded my thanks. "I'm not content to wait that long." I muttered, striding out the door.

I lurked out on the docks, taking in the sight of the _Pearl_. She was as beautiful as ever. Much like her captain, she seemed to have scarcely aged in the past ten years.

I waited, breathless, as a boat was lowered from the side of the ship. Presumably it carried all the members of the crew who'd been given shore leave, but I cared only for the safety of one figure in the little boat.

As the longboat drew closer, I was able to make out my daughter, sitting in the stern with Jack and Gibbs. I saw that she was dressed in men's clothing. Her hair had been put into dreadlocks and was held back by a green bandanna, and she had woven some sparkly trinkets into her hair, in what I was sure was a conscious imitation of Jack.

A surprisingly strong wave of relief swept over me. She was okay. For that one instant, it was all that mattered.

I waited there as the boat was rowed up to the dock. The crew climbed out without paying me any mind, simply glad to be back on land again. I knew the feeling.

Jody too appeared not to see me at first, though I knew she must have. She exited the boat and made to follow the rest of the crew, but Jack put a hand on her arm to stop her.

"No avoidin' it, lass," he said.

She sighed and turned to me. "'Ello, Mum. Guess I shoulda figured you'd interfere like always, huh?"

I didn't reply. I couldn't, because all the anger and the secrets and the lies seemed utterly insignificant next to the fact that she was safe.

Before I knew what I was doing, I had stepped forward and engulfed my daughter in a heartfelt embrace.

"Mum?" her voice was different now, the voice of a child.

I pulled away, placing my hands on her shoulders. "You're okay?"

"Yeah," she said, sounding somewhat bewildered. "I'm fine. Dad and Gibbs, they made sure nobody so much as touched me. Wouldn't let me in the raids, even. Kept me locked up in Dad's cabin whenever we engaged another ship."

I turned to Jack. "Well, I'm glad you had _that_ much sense, at any rate."

"Course I did," he said. "You didn't really think I'd let her get hurt?"

"Couldn't be sure what you'd do." I retorted. "After you dragged her off in the first place without so much as asking my permission."

"I wanted to go, Mum." Jody interjected. "Don't go blamin' Dad."

"I'll put the blame where it belongs." I said, still looking still looking at Jack.

"Ana, look… I did what I thought was best, alright?"

"Oh, so you thought it_ best_ to just invite her off to sail with you, just like that?" I asked, getting angry now. "With no regards to her safety?"

Jack frowned. "What the bloody hell are you on about?"

It was my turn to be confused. "Jody's note said that you asked…"

Jack turned to her. "What'd you tell her?"

"That isn't how it happened?" I asked, bewildered.

Jack and Jody seemed to be having something of a silent battle of wills. It was Gibbs who answered me.

"Nah, that ain't," he said.

I had scarcely noticed Gibbs' presence throughout the whole conversation, but I turned on him now.

"Don't you get involved no more." I said crossly. "You've done enough."

He raised his eyebrows. "Me?"

"Yes, you! You told Jack in the first place, didn't you?"

"Well- aye, that I did, but… I was tryin' to look out for you, Ana."

"And how exactly does breaking your promise and betraying my trust qualify?" I asked.

"I'm sorry, Ana… but I hadda."

I sighed. "I s'pose it figures you'd have an excuse too." I said. "Very well, let's have it, then."

"I- but- Ana, you know why I told!"

"I most certainly don't." I said.

"Ah- confused, that one." Jack broke in. "Now I- I did tell 'er, see, I just-"

"You didn't tell her, did you?" Gibbs asked.

"Oh, for the love of- will _somebody_ please tell me what's going on?"

Jack, Gibbs, and Jody exchanged a look.

"Why don't you two go on," Gibbs said. "We'll meet up with you later, aye?"

"Now wait just a minute!" I said. "I don't want to let Jody out of my sight again."

"She's not a child, Ana." Jack said firmly. "She's old enough to look after 'erself, and she certainly doesn't need you lookin' over 'er shoulder every second of the day."

"You know as well as I do what this town is like, Jack!" I argued.

"Better. I ain't daft, Ana. I'll look out for 'er."

I sighed, knowing that the protection of Jack Sparrow wasn't something to be taken lightly. "It's your choice, Jody." I said.

"Yeah, I'll go with Dad," she said.

I nodded. "Very well."

"We'll meet up at the tavern- for dinner, how 'bout?" Gibbs suggested.

"I don't think that would be a good idea." I said.

"I think it's a very good idea." Jack countered. "Have a meal as a family."

I bit my lip. Clearly Jack was doing this just to vex me, but I wouldn't rise to the bait, "If you'd like."

"Okay, we'll see you later, mum." Jody said.

"Hang on!" I said. "You still haven't told me exactly what happened with you going off with Jack."

Jody hesitated. "I asked if I could go with him," she said, not looking at me. "I convinced him to let me go."

The knowledge hurt more than I thought it would. "I see." I said softly.

"It's not- I mean, it wasn't you, Mum, I just- I couldn't stay there. I hated it there," she said, voice breaking. "I mean, we had nothing, and… I just wanted to get out."

"I didn't know you felt that way." I said, startled.

She shook her head. "I know. I'm sorry, but I was angry at you, an' then Dad was saying about how I could sail with him one day, when I was older, and I convinced him. He said no at first."

I looked at Jack, who simply stared evenly back at me. I realized that I'd lost the skill to read his mood simply by looking into his eyes- or else he was making damn sure I couldn't. I felt a moment of sadness- there had been a time when I could read him better than anyone else.

"Well, then." I said. "I guess- I guess that's that."

"We'll be going." Jack said, turning to go.

"Alright, I'll see the two of you later!" I called after them.

They walked off quickly. I watched them go with a feeling of sadness. The fact that my own daughter had gone willingly into the life I had forsaken was troubling, to say the least. Jody didn't know what she was getting into.

"Why don't we go somewhere, Ana?" Gibbs suggested. "Looks as though we need to 'ave a talk."

I turned to him, suddenly needy. For almost twenty years of my life Gibbs had stood by me. I had thought that he had betrayed me. But now…

"It's not true, is it?" I asked. "You had a reason. You didn't tell Jack about Jody just to spite me."

He frowned. "Is that what Jack made it out as?"

I nodded.

"No, Ana. It weren't like that."

Relief swept over me. I should've known better than to doubt him in the first place. Whatever his reasons, I knew they must be good ones. He was still loyal to me.

It felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. If I had Gibbs, then I could do this. Everything would be okay now.

-

As neither of us had eaten breakfast, we went back to the Bad Wolf and got some. Over a meal of hot oatmeal, eggs, and bacon, Gibbs told me everything.

"It were right after we'd got back into familiar waters after Singapore, see," he said, easily slipping into the mode of storyteller. "We'd been running low on supplies already, and no friendly port within days. So as soon as we spotted the little merchant vessel, we figured to take 'er.

"We caught up to 'er fine, got along side her, ran up the Jolly Roger, you know the drill. But soon's we'd run 'er up, the other ship lowers her flag, an' runs up the Roger 'erself- an' not just the Roger, but the- the whatsit… it's somethin' French I can't pronounce anyhow, but you know what I'm talkin' about- plain red flag."

My eyes widened. I didn't know the name of it either, but I knew well enough what it meant- no quarter given.

"Now, soon as Jack saw that, 'e tries to get us out of it, but it weren't so easy. An' the cap'n of the other ship, he calls across, 'You can't get out o' this one Sparrow, you've fired on one o' your own, an' now you've got to pay the consequences.' An' then they start firin' on us, an' so Jack, he ain't got no choice but to tell us to man the guns an' defend ourselves." Gibbs broke off, taking a sip of rum.

"It were a long, hard battle, lass," he said. "Bloody an' nasty, too. An' I got hurt pretty bad- stabbed, right between the ribs. Well, we won in the end, o' course- Jack fought the cap'n o' the other ship, knocked 'is sword clean out of 'is hand- and when he wouldn't surrender, Jack had no choice but to kill 'im, see. Truth be told I can't imagine he was too sorry to do it- we were getting' pretty well slaughtered at that point. At least, so everybody said later. I'd already been wounded by then, an' I was out cold.

"I didn't wake up for a while- an' when I did, I was sorta swimmin' in an' out o' things- sleep one minute, wake the next. Had a lot o' pretty funny dreams, too. But anyway, the pain was pretty bad. An' I thought- I thought, what's gonna 'appen to Ana, if I go? Thought I was dyin', see. So I told the doctor to get Jack down to see me, an'… I told 'im where you were, an' about Jody. I'm sorry, lass… but I thought I was dyin'; see? I knew he'd look after the two o' you, if I went."

I absorbed the story in silence. "You're okay now though, right?" I asked.

Gibbs nodded.

"Well then, that's all that matters." I said, smiling.

-

That evening, Jack and Jody joined us at the tavern for dinner. Jack had gotten a room, and had the meal brought up. It was pretty good, but the atmosphere at the table left something to be desired.

We sat eating silently for a few minutes, nobody quite knowing what to say. Finally I spoke up.

"We're going to have to decide what to do." I said.

"About what?" Jack asked.

"Well, about this whole situation. I guess we're pretty much a family now, whether we like it or not, and we'll need to make some decisions as a family."

"I'm not going back to Port Royal and that's final." Jody said firmly.

I turned to her. "Sweetheart, I know you don't like it, but-"

"No, I hate it. We had nothing, Mum, an' I _hated_ having to live like that!"

"It won't be like that anymore." Jack said. "I'll make sure the two o' you are looked after."

"You said I didn't have to go back!" Jody protested.

"You did _what_?" I fumed.

"I didn't say that, Jody, and you know it." Jack said wearily.

"But Dad, you already took me with you. You can't just leave me now!"

Jack shook his head. "I can't take you away from your mother, either."

Jody looked pained. "Uncle Gibbs-"

Gibbs shook his head. "Jack's right, lass."

She stood. "Fine. You guys just decide without me, then, since me bein' here doesn't seem to make much difference." And with that, she stormed out.

Both Jack and I stood to go after her. We stared at each other for a moment.

"Well, we can't both go." I said.

"I'll go." Gibbs said.

We turned to him.

"She needs somebody who ain't on either side. An' besides, you two got things to discuss."

I nodded, and Gibbs left.

I sat back down. "Guess we better talk, then."

"Guess so," Jack said. "Look… I'm sorry about how I acted back in Port Royal. I shouldn't 'ave just taken Jody off like that, an' I shoulda told you the truth about Gibbs, too."

"Yeah, you should've." I said bitterly.

Jack sighed, frustrated. "Okay. We ain't gettin' along. We both made mistakes, an' I guess we ain't ready to forgive that yet. But we gotta put the past behind us now. For Jody's sake."

"Okay. I guess you're right."

Jack held out his hand. "Truce?"

I nodded, grasping his hand in mine. "Truce."

"I guess we out to talk about what we're gonna do then, eh?"

"Yeah. I want Jody back with me. It don't have to be in Port Royal, but- Jack, she's too young for this!"

Jack shook his head. "I were her age when I went off to sea, Ana. An' she's… she's born to it. You should see 'er out there. It's in her blood, that you can't deny."

I sighed. "Yeah, that's what I was afraid of."

Jack frowned. "See Ana, that what I don't get. You loved life on the account; I know you did. What's got you so opposed to it now?"

"She's a child, Jack!"

"She's old enough! Would you be sayin' this if she were a boy?"

"Damn right I'd be sayin' it! I love her, Jack! I want to protect her!"

Jack sighed. "I made sure she was safe."

"An' how log will she be content to stay in your cabin during raids? What then? And when she gets older? Are you gonna let her fight? One bullet, Jack. That's all it would take."

"I know." Jack said. His voice shook, and I realized that he was as terrified of loosing Jody as I was. "I love her too, Ana."

In that moment I felt closer to Jack than I had since we'd been reunited. We weren't rivals, or shipmates, or lovers- we weren't even friends. We were parents. And we both cared about Jody with all of our hearts.

"We'll figure this out, Ana." Jack assured me.

I nodded. "I know we will."

It wasn't much, not really. But for the first time in fifteen years, I'd made an agreement with Jack Sparrow that I could live with.

-

Leave me a review, mmkay?


	9. II:III

Part 2, Chapter 3

Wow! Two updates in the space of a month? I'm impressed with myself!

-

Jack and I finished our meal in silence, both lost in our own thoughts.

As we ate, I kept finding myself staring at him. He'd hardly aged at all. I remembered the rumors of his immortality, and snorted. I'd dismissed them as ridiculous, but I could certainly see now where they came from.

"What is it?"

_Bloody hell._ He'd caught me staring. "Nothin'. Just thinking."

" 'Bout what?"

'"None o' your business, that's what."

Jack raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"I oughta go see how Jody's doing." I said, standing.

He nodded. "Good idea."

"You ain't gonna argue?" I asked.

He looked me in the eyes. "No. In fact, I think we oughta try an' get along. It ain't doin' Jody no good to see us fightin' all the time."

I was surprised to hear that, especially coming from him. I still wasn't sure if I could forgive him- but on the other hand, my lies to him were so much worse than everything he'd done, and he seemed to have forgiven me. Besides, not arguing with him every second we were in a room together would be a welcome change. I nodded. "Alright. Sounds good."

-

Jody was downstairs with Gibbs. They were sitting at a table in the corner of the room, and I walked over towards them. When Jody saw me coming, she quickly wiped her eyes- but even without that telltale sign, I could tell that she'd been crying.

I sat next to Gibbs. "Honey…" I said to her, putting a hand on her arm. "I wish you would tell me what's bothering you."

She shook her head, pulling away. "I'm not goin' back to Port Royal, Mum. I wanna stay with Dad."

"Sweetheart, I know you do, but it just isn't safe-"

"But Dad an' Gibbs were keepin' me safe! I'm telling you, Mum, I'll be okay."

I shook my head. "Jody, I know what that life is like. I've lived it. And it's no life for a fifteen-year-old girl. Maybe when you're older-"

"Older!" she exclaimed. "An' when will that be? When I'm eighteen? Twenty? When I'm old enough I don't want to go anymore?"

"Jody, it's not-"

"Yes, it is. That's what you're thinking, isn't it? You'll jus' keep me close till I've grown out of it?"

I was silent, mostly because a part of me _had_ hoped that.

"Mum…" her voice was gentler now. "Can't you see that I won't? This is who I am now."

"Nonsense, Jody." I said sharply. "A couple weeks on the account isn't enough time for you to decide that."

She avoided my eyes when she said, "But Mum… I've always known. In fact, I always planned to go someday, when I was old enough. Dress as a boy an' get passage to Tortuga or Nassau or somewhere, an' join up on a pirate ship. These past couple weeks with Dad… that just confirmed it," she looked up at me. "Mum… this is what I wanna do with my life. It makes me feel… free."

I sighed. "Freedom has a price, Jody."

"You of all people, you can't understand? You were on the account too. Dad an' Gibbs said you loved it!" Jody's voice took on a wheedling tone. "You were first mate of the _Pearl._ The finest pirate ship in all the Caribbean, everybody says so! You don't miss that?"

"It was a long time ago." I said heavily. "I was young."

"I know it's dangerous, I know it ain't gonna be easy. I understand everything, Mum."

"No, you don't." I said. "You don't know the reality of it. You don't know what it's like to be wounded in combat, or to have to kill a man to save your own life. It's an ugly life, Jody. Especially for a woman. Jack an' Gibbs can't look out for you all the time."

"I can take care of myself!" she said.

"Said like one who never 'ad to." Gibbs remarked. Jody turned to him angrily, and he added, "Your Mum has a point, lass. You both do."

It was my turn to glare at him.

Gibbs looked uncomfortable. "I'm fond o' the both of you. I ain't takin' sides or nothin'. Not as o' yet, anyway."

"Fine." Jody sighed. "Long as you ain't against me."

"I want what's best for you, lass. But I want you to be happy, too."

"Yeah, well that's more 'an Mum wants."

"I want you to be safe." I protested.

"No, you want to spite Dad. An' you can't stand that I like his way o' life better than I like yours!"

I was silent for a moment. "You don't know what my past is with your father."

"Fine then. Tell me," she said, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms.

I sighed. "Like I said, I was young, and naïve too. I didn't know Jack too well, but he appealed to me. There was just somethin' about him. I figured nothin' would come of it. I'd heard enough about him to know what sort o' guy he was. I weren't lookin' for romance or anythin' anyway- but there was just something about 'im, something that intrigued me despite everythin'."

"So this was before you sailed with him?"

I nodded. "Aye. I only knew him a few days, but… well, like I said, he intrigued me. Then one night, me an' him an' Gibbs, we decided to make a tour of all the taverns in Tortuga, to try an' decide which one had the best home brew." I smiled at the memory. "We all got pretty sloshed- me less 'an either of them, though. Jack started talkin'- told us all manner o' things, stuff he prob'ly wouldn't have spilled if he were sober. It really put things in perspective, y'know? He didn't say much, but what 'e did… he ain't had an easy life, that's for sure. But anyway, I guess that's when I fell in love with him."

"And then he stole your boat." Jody said.

I smiled, nodding. "That he did."

"And when he came back to Tortuga, you gave 'im what for." Jody said, grinning now. "An' then you became his first mate, and then there was the whole thing with Barbossa and his cursed crew!"

I nodded, Jody's good humor infectious. "Aye, that's how it was, though I weren't around for most o' the excitement. Mostly I got left with the ship, an' of course I was I the brig of the _Pearl_ for some o' the time."

"But you were in the battle. You were in command of the _Interceptor_, weren't you?"

I nodded. "Aye, though in truth me, Gibbs, Will an' Elizabeth were kinda all comin' up with ideas an' putting 'em to use however we could. An' then we lost the battle, o' course."

"But it all turned out okay in the end." Jody said. "You took command of the _Pearl,_ an' then you rescued Dad from hanging in Port Royal."

"That we did. Despite bein' told to keep to the Code an' all, none of us could leave Jack to be hung. It were just wrong, an' we all knew it."

"Dad never said what happened after that."

"Truth is, there ain't much to tell. That's about the end o' the whole adventure. After tha', it were just the boring stuff- coming 'ere, restocking, then goin' off an' doin' some raiding for a while."

"Yeah, but… I were conceived at some point durin' all that, weren't I?" Jody asked.

I cleared my throat. "Ah… aye, that you were." I said, rubbing the back of my neck nervously. "You see… you gotta understand that I was young, Jody, an' I weren't thinking-"

"If you're tryin' to break it to me gently that I weren't planned, don't worry," she interrupted. "I kinda figured that much. I just wanna know what happened, is all."

"If you're lookin' for some heartrending story of a great, timeless love, I'm afraid you're gonna be disappointed, luv," a familiar voce spoke from behind me.

_Bugger. He _would_ show up._ I thought uncharitably.

Jody's face lit up, however. "Dad! Mum was just tellin' me-"

"I 'eard what your mum was sayin'. 'Ow bad did she slander me?"

I turned on him angrily. "I did no such-" I broke off, though, when Jack winked at me. He'd been teasing, and I blushed, embarrassed.

Jack had brought rum for me an Gibbs and I took my pint gratefully. Before coming back to Tortuga, I'd not had rum in fifteen years. I couldn't believe I'd done without.

Jody was eyeing us with a look that belied mischief. "Mum? Can I have some?"

"No." Jack and I said in unison.

I expected her to press, but she just grinned and said, "Okay. You gonna tell me any more, then?"

"Jack's right." I said. "It ain't romantic in the slightest."

She looked disappointed. "So you two weren't in love or nothing?"

"No. We weren't." I said, hoping Jack hadn't noticed the emphasis I'd placed on the 'we'.

He glanced in my direction, but said nothing.

"So you didn't even have a relationship or anything?" Jody asked.

"Nope." Jack said.

"You never loved her, Dad?"

Jack sighed. "Well, I- I mean… your mother's a wonderful woman, no mistake. We just… weren't in love at the right time."

I frowned at him, wondering what he meant by 'the right time'. Jack just took a sip of rum and held my gaze, his deep brown eyes full of a swirl of emotions.

Without warning, I felt a my face flush and a flare of heat in my abdomen. When he looked at me that way, it was as though I was young again, as though the past fifteen years had never happened. When he looked at me like that, all I could remember was the night we spent together.

And that was when I realized that I had fallen back in love with Jack Sparrow. Strangely, my first reaction wasn't anger or frustration. It was pure joy- yes; I loved him. For one glorious, innocent moment, that was all that mattered.

Then real life crashed back in. I couldn't love Jack. That was ridiculous. After all I'd been through because of him? And we'd only just been reunited, and had argued for most of the time. He probably hated me! Yes, I told myself, nodding mentally, he probably did.

But I remembered that look, and wondered. One thing was for sure- I still wanted him

-

Reviews? Sorry this chapter's a bit short, but this seemed like a pretty good way to end it.


	10. II:IV

Part 2, Chapter 3

Profound apologies for the delay. Due to some personal issues, there was a period of over a month where I didn't do any writing at _all,_ but the rest of the time can be chalked up to pure laziness. Sorry. This is a long one, though, so I hope that makes it better.

-

A few days passed. I tried to force down my newly reawakened feelings for Jack, but found that I couldn't. To make matters worse, he seemed to be flirting with me more often. It was easy enough to brush off (although Jody's glee at seeing him flirt with me caused him to do it more often, I was sure), but there were things that made me suspect that it wasn't a show.

It was the way he'd look at me when no one else was watching, the way that would make my knees go weak. Or the way his hand would linger on mine when he handed me a mug of rum, and the way that he'd go out of his way to touch me, even if only for a moment.

But how much of it was real, and how much was more of the image, the legend of Captain Jack Sparrow? I tried not to think about it, but it was pretty hard not to. And no matter how much I reminded myself how badly things had fallen apart the last time… I knew that he was the one. And that was hard to resist.

So I was rude. Harsh and standoffish when he was only kind. Gibbs and Jody gave me disparaging looks, but Jack merely grinned in that way of his, eyes sparkling with amusement. _He_, of course, could see right through me.

One night as I was going up to my room, he followed me ("A pretty girl like you shouldn't be alone in this sort o' place," he'd said, to which I only rolled my eyes). I unlocked the door, intending to simply walk inside and slam it behind me, but he reached a hand out and grasped my arm, stopping me.

"Wait."

"What the bloody _hell_ do you want?"

"We're sailing out in a week," he said, ignoring my comment. "We need to decide what to do about Jody."

I sighed, knowing he was right. "Fine then. Come on in."

He smiled a little, eyes dancing at being let into my room. "Don't you go tryin' anything, now." I cautioned.

"Me, luv? I'd not dream of it!" he protested, looking wounded.

I snorted. "Right."

He only gave me another one of those enigmatic little smiles, and I rolled my eyes. "Are you actually here to talk about somethin', then? Because if not-"

"All right, luv, all right," he said mildly. "You're right. We 'ave to decide what to do 'ere."

"If I give you my opinion, are you goin' to listen?"

"I'm askin', ain't I?" he asked softly.

I nodded, a bit surprised at the seriousness of his demeanor. "It's too dangerous for her to go with you." I said. "Especially considerin' who you are."

"It's what she wants."

"She's fifteen years old, Jack, she doesn't _know_ what she wants."

He raised an eyebrow. "You were that age more recently than I was, and yet I seem to remember it better."

"Why, what happened when you were fifteen that has such great memories for you?" I asked.

"It was the year I first went to sea," he said promptly. "I were only a cabin boy on a merchant vessel sailin' out o' London, but ever since then… I've never felt at home anywhere else."

"When I was fifteen I fell in love for the first time." I said, smiling wryly at the memory of how naïve I'd been back then. "In some ways, it was the best thing that could've happened to me, I guess, but… I was so young. I didn't know anything."

"Aye, Jody's young too, but… I really believe that this is what she wants." Jack said. "Ana… she'll never forgive you if you keep her from this."

"I'll never forgive myself if I let 'er go!" I said. "I know what'll happen, sure enough, and as long as I can keep her from that-"

"What are you so afraid of, Ana?" he asked.

"I'm afraid of her gettin' hurt."

Jack shook his head. "Nah, that ain't all, is it?"

"You want to know what it is, Jack?" I exploded. "Do you really want to know what it is? I don't want her to become like _me_. I don't want 'er to meet some pirate and give 'im her heart, then go an' get knocked up because she was too _stupid_ to know any better! An' then there she'll be, an unwed mother in some port or another, all alone with no money-" I took a deep breath and went on, more calmly. "An' then years later, she'll meet that pirate again. An' because she's stupid, and because he doesn't know everything she's been through-" I stopped abruptly, before I could say anything else.

Jack looked at me for a long moment. "Ana…" he seemed at a bit of a loss. "I'm sorry… if I'd known-"

"If you'd known, it wouldn't 'ave changed a damn _thing_, Jack!" I exclaimed, blinking back tears now. "Yeah, you woulda provided for us. But that's the only thing that'd be different! I'd still 'ave been alone."

"I'd have given' you anything you asked for," Jack said quietly.

"Anything? Would you have put your pirating on hold, and stayed with me till she were born?" Jack hesitated for an instant, and I shook my head. "Don't answer that. I know you wouldn't."

"Ana, I-"

"Don't, okay?" I said, a single tear running down my face. Angrily, I wiped it away. "Just don't."

Jack stepped forward and tried to embrace me, but I pushed him away. "Stop it." I said, unable to stop more tears from falling. "Just- just leave me alone."

He nodded, a pained look on his face. He opened the door, then paused. "I'd 'ave stayed with you," he said softly. "I'd 'ave done anything you wanted. I cared about you, Ana. I still do."

I didn't reply, and moments later I heard the click of the door being shut softly. Finally alone, I broke into tears, sobbing for the bitter past that it seemed I was powerless to escape.

-

When I went downstairs the next morning, I headed over to the table that the four of us regularly occupied. To my surprise, only Gibbs was seated there, already enjoying an early morning cup of rum.

"Hey," I said, sitting next to him. "Where's Jody?"

"Jack took her out to visit some friends of his."

I frowned. "Really?"

"C'mon, Ana, you know how much Jack cares for her. He ain't gonna let nothin' happen to 'er."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"So, uh… Jack said somethin' happened last night?" Gibbs ventured after a few moments.

I groaned. "I don't want to talk about it."

Gibbs didn't back down. "I think you ought to."

"I said I didn't want to discuss it." I said sharply, unintentionally using the voice I'd used to scold Jody when she was a child. "You're fully capable of askin' Jack if you wanna know so bad."

"Jack refused to talk about it either."

I took a brief moment to feel grateful to Jack for keeping his damn mouth shut. "Well, I guess you're outa luck then. Why're you so keen to find out?"

"Because." Gibbs said. "I seem to be the only one as can run interference between the two o' you."

I frowned. "Why d'you want to do that?"

He took a sip of rum. "Never said I were doin' it for meself now, did I?"

"What'd he ask you to do?" I demanded.

"Easy, lass. Jack dint ask me to do nothin'."

I frowned. "Who, then?"

He sighed. "I shouldn't go tellin' you that. But you're a smart lass, Ana. Surely you can figger out who don't wan' to see you an' Jack fighting no more- it ain't just me."

I was silent, remembering things from the past few days. How it delighted Jody to see Jack flirt with me. The way she'd grinned instead of being disappointed when Jack and I unanimously denied her rum. Things Jack had said…

"_I think it's a very good idea. Have a meal as a family."_

_"We both made mistakes, an' I guess we ain't ready to forgive that yet. But we gotta put the past behind us now. For Jody's sake."_

_"I think we oughta try an' get along. It ain't doin' Jody no good to see us fightin' all the time."_

"Jody?" I asked.

Gibbs nodded.

"She asked Jack to help her too, didn't she?"

Another nod.

"Oh." I felt a bit ashamed, and a little hurt too. "Why didn't she say something to me?"

"Can you blame 'er, Ana? It were you who were startin' most of the fights!"

"With good reason!" I protested.

"That so?" Gibbs looked skeptical. "Seemed to me like Jack were bein' pretty nice."

I scowled. "Oh sure, he's plenty _nice._ A little too nice for my liking."

Gibbs sighed. "It's just Jack's way, lass. I think you've forgotten 'ow he can be some o' the time."

"I 'aven't _forgotten_ anything! I remember-" I broke off.

Because, in that moment, I really _did_ remember. So much had happened back then, I'd been hurt so badly, that I'd forgotten all about the _good_ times.

There'd been so many simple things, back then, and it was those memories that floated to the surface now- like me, Jack, and Gibbs, drinking and laughing in pubs in this very city. Jack and I discussing the plans for the _Interceptor's_ journey to the Isla de Muerta. My utter relief at seeing Jack, alive and well, tumble off the wall of the fort at Port Royal. The look on his face when he'd taken the _Pearl's_ wheel for the first time in ten years. The night, fifteen years ago, when Jody had been conceived.

I shut my eyes wearily. Somehow, everything always came back to that night.

"Ana?" Gibbs' voice broke me out of my thoughts. "You alright lass?"

I nodded, wearily. "I'll be fine."

He looked at me with puzzlement, and not a little concern. Finally, comprehension dawned. "You've fallen back in love with 'im."

"I don't think I ever stopped," I sighed.

"So, ah… what're ye goin' to do now?"

"Do? Who says I 'ave to _do_ anything? Nah, I ain't doing nothin'. I ain't a girl anymore, thank God. Got some sense now, and I know full well that there ain't no more hope for me and Jack than there ever was. So I won't do nothing. He don't have to know, and I sure as hell don't _need_ him."

"Don't you?" Gibbs asked softly.

"No." I insisted. "I don't."

"Guess you know your own heart best, then," he said, and didn't bring up the subject again. But his eyes held pity that I was afraid I deserved.

Because he'd been right, all those years ago. A girl who gave her heart to Jack Sparrow was only headed for heartbreak- in fact; I'd already been there. But I was still under his spell. All he had to do was look at me, and my good sense attempted to jump out the window, restrained only by my logic- but my hold on _that_ was slipping more and more each day.

-

Jack and Jody came back to the tavern around midday, and, at Jody's request, we all had lunch. I tried to be civil with Jack- for her sake- but inside, I raged at him. Did he feel the constant need to interfere with my life? This was exactly what I'd wanted _not_ to happen. Me and Jody were far better off without him.

_Are you?_ A little voice inside me asked. _Jody loves him. The reason that you kept her from him all these years is because you thought _you'd_ be better off._

Politely, my inner pirate told that little voice where it could stick its advice.

_But you miss him, don't you? And you love him._

Without meaning to, I looked across the table at Jack. He was laughing at something Gibbs had said. As I watched, he took a swig of rum.

He looked so happy, so content. I was glad for him, because I was sure that this was a feeling he didn't get often. He hadn't had an easy life either, and just as I'd thought I had plenty good reasons for the mistakes I'd made (for I was beginning to see, now, that some of them _had_ been mistakes), surely he had reasons for his.

So I made a choice. I knew what I had to do- I had to let go of my petty resentment, as well as that part of me that was still very young and hopeful that maybe, despite everything, Jack and I could be together. It had never been anything more than a dream. Now, I had to trust him to keep our daughter safe, because she was another thing that I could no longer hold on to.

"Mum? Mum, are you alright?"

I blinked, turning to my daughter. Jody had a worried look on her face. "I'm fine honey." I said, smiling to dispel her concern. I turned to Jack. "You said you were sailing out in a week?" I asked.

"Aye," he said, a look of carefully guarded interest on his face. He was, I realized, afraid I would bring up the old arguments.

I nodded, meeting his gaze. "Take care of her, Jack."

In another lifetime I would have been proud of the surprise that showed so clearly on his face. "Ana… are you sure?"

"Yes, Jack," I said, smiling. "I'm sure."

Jody whooped for joy, thanking me. I nodded my acknowledgement, but found my eyes drawn to Jack's. He was watching me solemnly, and I could see that he was thinking about something very important.

I decided to leave him to his thoughts. As Jody chattered excitedly with Gibbs about the upcoming voyage, I wordlessly got out of my seat and walked away from the table.

I headed upstairs. I was walking down the hallway toward my room when I heard Jack calling my name.

The day before I'd have hurried ahead, slamming my door in his face before he could catch up. Now, I stopped, waiting for him to reach me.

He looked concerned. "Ana… are you _sure_ you're alright?"

"I'm fine, Jack. I just… figured some things out, is all. You know, I was bein' real stupid before."

"So… what are you goin' to do now?" he asked.

I sighed. "Nothing, I guess. I'll just stay here, so I'm here when the _Pearl_ makes port."

"Seems an awful shame for your life to 'ave been reduced to that." Jack remarked. "You don't mind just waitin' here for us?"

"No."

He looked at me for a moment, started to say something, thought better of it, opened his mouth to say something else, and shut it again.

I raised an eyebrow, amused. "Yes?"

"Did you ever miss me?" he asked.

"I- what?"

"You 'eard me," he said, smiling mischievously. "In all that time, didn't you ever once think to yourself, 'I wish Jack was here'?"

Cautiously, I considered my answer. Should I tease him by merely saying 'maybe', leaving him to guess my reasons for doing so? Should I deny it vehemently, making him suspect that the answer was positive?

Or should I tell him the truth? Should I tell him that once you met Jack Sparrow, he showed you a life you'd never dreamed of, so that once he went out of it, your old ordinary world seemed less bright?

"I think your ego is quite large enough without me feeding it." I said finally.

He glared at me. "Oh, you're no fun."

I smiled. "A legend in your own mind, you are." I said softly.

He smiled in recognition, and the air between us seemed to swirl tangibly with memories fifteen years past.

"Ana…" he stroked my face softly with the back of his fingers. "I missed you, you know."

I shook my head. "Are you tryin' to sweet talk me, Jack Sparrow?"

He grinned, looking absolutely wicked. "That's _Captain_, luv And…" he looked thoughtful. "Aye. Maybe I am."

"Well, you might as well get to whatever point you're dancing around." I told him, not unkindly.

"Surely this isn't what you want?" Jack asked. "Just to _wait_ here? That's not the Anamaria I knew."

I smiled sadly. "I've changed since then, Jack."

"Truly?" he asked. "As much as all that?"

"Well, I- I don't know."

He took a step closer to me, so that we were standing mere inches apart. "You don't want to stay here."

"You think not?"

He shook his head, a faint smile on his lips. "You can't give up, luv."

"I'm not."

He raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you?"

"I ain't goin' anywhere. I'll be right here."

"Why don't you come with us?"

"Are you serious?" The question was needless. I could tell by the look on his face that he meant every word. I smiled. Somehow, I'd learned to read him again.

"You miss it, don't you?" he asked. "The wind in your hair, the smell of the sea…"

"Aye." I said softly. "I miss it."

"Well then!" he exclaimed happily. "I'm in need of a first mate, you know."

"I know." I said. Gibbs had long ago told me that Jack had never filled the position again, after I'd vacated it. And now, Jack was offering it to me again- could I do anything but say yes? Maybe this was a mistake- I was, after all, effectively retracing my steps of fifteen years previous. But we were both older now, and _I_, at any rate, was wiser.

And there had been a strange emotion in Jack's eyes when he'd asked me to go with him. I found myself hoping that maybe- just maybe- it was love.

-

Reviews are love.


	11. II:V

Part two, chapter four

We are on our second-to-last chapter! Thanks to all who R&Red.

-

Back on the _Pearl_ again!

Jack had been right- I had missed it. It was positively exhilarating to be on the account once more, sailing and plundering and doing as we wished.

We had a couple of encounters with the Navy- but the _Pearl_ was still the fastest ship in the Caribbean at least, and so we sailed away unharmed each time. It gave us a real thrill speeding away from Norrington's flagship, fast enough to evade him without ever being in range of his ship's guns.

Yeah, times were good again, that was for sure. Every evening Jack, Jody, Gibbs and I would sit in Jack's cabin and talk for a few hours. We discussed anything and everything we could think of- but mostly Jack, Gibbs and I recounted our adventures (both together and apart) in our lives as pirates.

And that was another thing- Jack and I were getting along again. In fact, I'd even go so far as to say that we were friends. When push came to shove, after all, we both had the interests of the ship and our family at heart.

Then again… there were those looks that he'd give me sometimes. But whenever he'd start getting too liberal with his flirting, I'd put him in his place with a raised eyebrow or a sharp word. After that, he'd back off… for a couple days.

Gibbs, naturally, noticed how things were between us. This, I had expected. What I _hadn't_ expected was that Jody would perceive the situation as well.

I was out on deck one evening when she came over to talk to me. I could tell right away that something was up.

"All right then, what's goin' on?"

Jody grinned. "I know."

I raised an eyebrow. "Congratulations. Know what, exactly?"

"You like Dad," she said.

"Uh- no." I said slowly. "I don't."

"Yes you do. You're in love with 'im, ain't you?"

"I- what?" I spluttered. "No I most _certainly _am not!" Receiving only a skeptical look in reply, I went on. "Oh, Jesus Christ. Time 'as passed, honey. There was a time when I loved your father very much, but… well, that ship has sailed."

"Bollocks," Jody interjected. "Mubbe the ship sailed, aye, but I think it's made port again."

"No, it- I mean- you're a little young to understand these things."

"Weren't you engaged when you were my age?" she asked.

"I was not!"

"Oh right, sorry, you were sixteen-"

"I was _nineteen_! And that is completely beside the point!"

Jody grinned. "You're right. The _point_ is that you're in love with Dad."

I groaned, frustrated. "Well, even if I am… I fail to see how that's any of your business."

"So you are?"

"I didn't say that-"

"You are," she affirmed. "Thanks! That's all I needed to know." She turned to go.

"Wait- you're not gonna tell 'im, are you?" I asked, alarmed.

She turned, trying to look innocent. "Mum. Would I do that to you?"

"You're up to somethin', ain't you?"

"Maybe," Jody said, smiling impishly. "Maybe not. You'll just 'ave to see, eh?" And with that, she walked off.

I sighed. I hadn't wanted Jody to know how I felt about Jack. He was, after all, her father, and I didn't want her to become hopeful in case things didn't work out between us. But apparently she was more perceptive than she seemed. Well, there wasn't anything I could do about it now.

-

The next day dawned.

It was a fairly ordinary day. I was out on deck when I spied a ship out on the horizon. Closer inspection with my spyglass revealed that she was certainly a merchant- carrying a large cargo, by the look of how low she rested in the water.

I brought the ship to Jack's attention.

"What flag she flyin'?" he asked.

"French," I replied.

He grinned. "Well now, that's just too good a chance to pass up, ain't it? French are bloody pushovers, the whole lot of 'em."

True, they did have that sort of reputation. And merchants typically fell to us fairly easily. Due to the persistent efforts of the East India company, piracy was on a steady decline in these waters, and the trading ships had grown used to not having to use the cannon they were equipped with. I don't think any of us were expecting trouble.

When the ship (whose name, we now saw, was the _Chimera_), didn't surrender as soon as we ran up the Jolly Roger, we didn't think much of it. Often a ship didn't know what to do at this point. So we fired a warning shot at her.

_That _got a response out of them- but not the one we were expecting. They fired back at us. They missed- but the cannonball had passed uncomfortably close to the mainmast.

Jack's expression appeared calm to the rest of the crew, but standing next to him on the quarterdeck, I could see that his jaw had tightened, and his mouth was set in determination. "All right, then," he said softly, more to himself than to me. "If they're lookin' for a fight, that's what we'll give 'em!" he declared.

I took the helm, and brought us alongside the _Chimera_ as per Jack's order. As the other ship continued to fire on us, we retaliated by firing on her ourselves.

I noticed some commotion on the _Chimera_'s deck, and I realized that they actually meant to board us. I sought out Jack, and realized he had seen it too. He'd gone down to the maindeck when we'd begun firing on the other ship in earnest, but he now hurried back up to the quarterdeck.

"Right, you stay here. I'm gettin' some of our best fighters together an' goin' over there," he told me.

I raised an eyebrow. "You're boarding them while they're boardin' us?"

"If I can get over there before they get organized, they won't be able to come over here."

I nodded, reminding myself that Jack knew what he was doing. Still, though… "How many you takin' over there?"

"'Bout ten."

I hesitated, not sure that would be enough. But Jack liked to sail with a small crew- there were only about thirty of us on board. To take more than ten men would leave us too vulnerable. "You'll be alright?"

He gave me his trademark rakish grin, the one that always pulled my heartstrings rather than reassured me. "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, luv."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah, get on then."

I watched nervously as Jack and the men he'd chosen swung over to the _Chimera_, engaging her crew. They fought back… but not quite well enough. Our men were beating them back. Eventually, the _Chimera_'s crew abandoned their cannons, and I gave the order for us to cease fire. I hadn't liked the idea of firing on a ship our own men had boarded, anyway.

We watched in silence as the hand-to-hand fighting continued on the other ship's deck. I ordered five more men to go over and lend a hand- it wasn't as though we were doing anything on the _Pearl, _just waiting.

Gibbs came up to join me on the quarterdeck. "It'll be over soon," he remarked. "They ain't no match for us."

"Nah, looks as though they ain't," I replied.

I tried to calm myself. Encounters such as these- where the crew of the ship fought back- weren't the usual outcome of a raid, but neither were they uncommon. And I'd had enough combat experience when I was younger that I shouldn't be affected by these incidents.

So why was my heart beating in my throat? Why was my stomach aching in a way that had nothing to do with seasickness? Why were my knees weak and my hands gripping the wheel so tightly I was loosing feeling to my fingers?

I knew why, of course- it was Jack. Stupid bloody Jack, who seemed exceedingly inept at muddying my emotions at every turn. A simple raid on a ship that had given us a bit of difficulty- that was all this would have been before. But my love for Jack had made everything complicated, as love often seemed to do.

"Ah, that'll finish it," Gibbs said, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Look there."

I scanned the _Chimera_'s deck for anything out of the ordinary, and soon found what Gibbs was talking about. Jack had engaged a well-dressed man who I could only assume was the ship's captain. They were fighting fiercely, taking no notice of the battle that raged around them.

My heart leapt into my chest. This was a merchant ship, true, and the crew certainly weren't trained for fighting- but the captains of such ships were wealthy men, gentlemen who would certainly have been trained to fence.

_That'll finish it,_ Gibbs had said, and in doing so he'd inadvertently answered a question I'd been wondering about privately for a while now.

Few seemed to notice that fact that Jack did not, in fact, resort to hand-to-hand combat himself unless forced to. Those who did assumed that it was because his nature was a tad more peaceful than he was willing to let on. And that in itself was true- but it was not the only reason.

As far as I could tell, I was the only one who had noticed the fact that Jack was not actually that good with a blade. He could hold his own in a fight, sure- but he most often relied on his wits and his charm to get him out of the scrapes he so often found himself in. And whenever going up against a skilled opponent, he'd cheat, if need be. His skills alone were, perhaps, not enough to get him out of such scrapes.

I'd first suspected when I'd sailed with Jack fifteen years ago, when Will Turner had mentioned something about Jack cheating during a duel. I'd asked Jack about it, and he'd simply replied that he'd done it to end the fight quickly, so he could escape. Will had rolled his eyes at this, and muttered something about the fact that he could have easily defeated Jack if he'd played fairly. I'd assumed the boy was just nursing a grudge- but something had flickered beneath Jack's gaze for a moment.

It was just a little thing, sure- but it had roused my suspicion. And I'd received my conformation the night after we'd sailed away from Port Royal with Jack safely onboard. As Jack, Gibbs and I had talked and drank that night in Tortuga, Jack had recounted the tale of the showdown in the caves of Isla de Muerta.

It was a captivating tale, and he told it well- but I couldn't help but wonder at one aspect of it. Why had Jack stolen a coin from the cursed treasure? Insurance of immortality for the fight to come, of course. It seemed a smart move in any circumstance… but I couldn't help but wonder if Jack had known that he couldn't best Barbossa in a duel.

Despite my animosity towards Jack, I had never said anything. Clearly this secret was one that he kept guarded- after all, Gibbs didn't appear to have noticed, and he'd sailed with Jack for years! Now I was glad I'd never said anything, glad that there was at least one sin against Jack that I hadn't committed.

But it still made me feel uneasy to watch Jack fight. While the rest of the crew could relax, could feel secure in their belief that Jack could save the day, _I_ couldn't help but worry. It wasn't that I didn't believe in Jack- I did, and I trusted him- but I worried, too. He was only human, after all.

On the deck of the _Chimera,_ Jack's fight with the captain had continued unabated. I watched anxiously as Jack was forced to retreat more and more from the other captain's blade. By the time Jack had been backed against the mainmast, I could bear it no longer.

"I have to go over there," I said, starting forward.

Gibbs caught my arm. "Easy, lass. What could you do? Jack can take care of 'imself." Seeing that I was unconvinced, he went on, "He'll be ok. Ain't 'e always?"

"Aye," I had to admit. "But there's a first time for everything."

I watched in trepidation as the _Chimera_'s captain thrust his sword at Jack. Jack ducked, managing to slip beneath the man's arm and wind up behind him. I waited for the other captain to turn to meet him, only to realize that he couldn't- his sword had stuck in the ship's mast. He abandoned it after giving it a few good tugs, his hand immediately going to his belt for what I assumed was a dagger or pistol- only to find the point of Jack's sword at his neck.

Neither of them moved for an instant… then I saw the man lift his hands into the air. He'd surrendered. He shouted something- presumably he'd been ordering his crew to do the same, for the few remaining members who'd been fighting reluctantly dropped their weapons and raised their hands as well. It was over.

Our crew cheered, and those who'd been fighting on the _Chimera_ quickly rounded up the ship's crew and stripped them of their remaining weapons. Jack made sure that the crew and their captain were under guard, then turned to face the _Pearl,_ catching my eyes and motioning for me to come over

"Look after things over here, Gibbs," I said.

He grinned. "Yes'm."

I rolled my eyes, and made my way down to the maindeck, where I quickly swung over to the _Chimera._

Jack met me, and before I knew what was happening, had engulfed me in a hug. When we separated, he was grinning, and I found his good humor infectious. "Y'see, luv? I told you it would be easy."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, sure, you call that easy."

"'Coz it was!"

"Oh, aye, perfectly easy, 'cept for the part where you nearly got yourself killed!"

"I did not!"

"Did so."

"Did not."

"Did s- gah! Useless arguing with you, ain't it?"

He smiled. "Now she talks reason."

I rolled my eyes. I'd been honestly worried about him, and yet he so easily brushed off my concerns. I hadn't expected otherwise- but it still frustrated me. Jack wasn't infallible. I knew it, and I knew he knew it. But we also both knew that he'd never admit it. I heaved a sigh. It was rather a lot to deal with sometimes, being friends with Jack.

"You alright, luv?" he asked. He looked almost… concerned?

"Just thinkin' about how crazy you are," I replied.

"Ah, best not to do that, luv. Take all day, that would."

I grinned. "Oh, you ain't nearly as complicated as you think you are."

"How do you know that isn't what I want you to think?" he inquired.

I groaned. "Jack…"

"Alright, luv, alright. Now, what say we take a look-see at what wonderful valuables this fine vessel might have hidden in 'er hold, eh?" He turned to address the crew. "You know the drill, lads! Bring everything you find up on deck, an' we'll take it over to the _Pearl_." He turned back to me. "Ana, can you get a couple more men over there to guard the crew? I wanna make sure someone's got an eye on 'em."

"Yeah, sure." I replied.

I headed over to where the _Chimera's _crew sat in a brooding assemblage that made me slightly guilty. They hadn't actually done anything wrong- but they wouldn't be hurt by this. Except that their company would loose money… and that money might come out of their pay… and many of them probably had families to support…

I shook my head. It was a vicious cycle once it got going, and I was determined not to make myself miserable by perpetuating it. It was a cruel world out there, and I was only doing what I had to to survive. Still, though…

Two of our crewmembers, Wade and Luc, had been assigned to guard the crew. I sent Wade to the _Pearl_ to bring a couple men over to keep a closer eye on them, as per Jack's orders.

"Luc, you speak French, don't you?" I asked.

"_Oui_," he replied with a smile. "_C'est mon tongue native."_

"Can you translate for me? I want to ask them something."

_"Pour etre sur_- to be sure, Madame."

I nodded my thanks, and turned to address the _Chimera's_ crew. "My name is Anamaria, I'm the first mate of the _Black Pearl_." I paused so that Luc could translate, then continued. "I just want you all to know that you aren't going to come to any harm… As soon as we've taken what we want, you'll be allowed to go on your way. You'll be left with enough supplies to reach your destination…" I took a deep breath, feeling somewhat nervous about what I intended to say next. "You fought well, and we can always use good fighters. If any of you wish to join our crew, you'll be welcome onboard the _Pearl_…" I paused, waiting for it to sink in.

The men simply sat there, staring indifferently at me and Luc- with the exception of the captain, who was actively glaring at us.

"Well," I said, feeling thoroughly disgusted with myself for trying to be nice, "Let Luc here know if you change your mind."

I noticed that Wade was back with two men from the _Pearl,_ as I'd asked. I instructed them to guard the crew.

I turned away to go find Jack, only to find him right behind me.

"There you are. We got a good haul?"

"It's alright. Not much hard currency- mostly clothing. Still, though, we ought to be able to sell it. I thought you might want to take a look in the Captain's cabin with me?"

"Why, Captain Sparrow, I would be delighted."

Jack started to say something about how the best loot was probably in there anyway, but as he was part way through whatever it was he was saying, I abruptly stopped paying attention.

The _Chimera's _captain had been very slowly and very carefully reaching into his pocket. What had caught my eye was the reflection of the sun as he very slowly and very carefully pulled out a small pistol- aiming it straight at Jack.

I didn't have time to warn Jack. All I could do was throw myself against him, toppling him to the ground. The gun fired, we both flinched, and for a heartbreaking second I thought Jack had been hit- but then there was something warm soaking my shoulder, and as Jack gently moved me off him I realized that there was pain as well. I had been shot. Me, instead of Jack.

I faintly heard him calling my name, and I tried to speak, tried to ask him to tell Jody goodbye for me, but I couldn't move.

The last thought I had before darkness overwhelmed me was that I'd spent so much time worrying about Jack's mortality that I'd completely forgotten my own.  
-

Review?


	12. II:VI

Part two, chapter six

Well, here we are… this is the end of Wanted. I know updates have been few and far between, and I'm sorry for that. (I can't believe it took me _three years_ to write this thing…) I would also like to thank every single one of you who reviewed. Even if you only left one review for one chapter, it still meant something to me!

And, shameless plug time: now that I'm done with this one, I'll be turning to my next multi-chapter epic. I can't decide what to write, however. In my profile are descriptions of three fics for three different fandoms (Labyrinth, Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars). I invite all of you to read these descriptions and vote for your choice in my profile poll.

-

I must have floated in and out of consciousness for a while, because I had a few hazy memories of Robert, the ship's doctor, bandaging my wound. I didn't remember him taking out the bullet, but I figured that was for the best.

When I finally woke up for good, though, I didn't remember where I was or how I had gotten there. Looking around, I realized that I was in Jack's cabin, and figured he and Gibbs must have taken me there after the events on the deck of the _Chimera_.

I tried to sit up, but a wave of pain from my shoulder discouraged any thought of moving too much. I shifted restlessly. I was sore, but every time I attempted to move to a more comfortable position, my shoulder pained me too much.

"Well, bollocks," I tried to say. All that came out, however, was a croak. I swallowed, realizing for the first time how dry my throat was. I was also very thirsty.

Somebody had piled several thick blankets on top of me, which somewhat limited my vision. Also, I was hot. I pushed them off my torso-

And something _moved_ beneath them.

I jumped, then winced as the pain in my shoulder doubled. "_Oww!_" I croaked.

The blankets were moved aside, and Jack emerged from beneath them. I realized that he had been sitting in a chair next to the bed while lying half on it, and that I had inadvertently pushed the blankets on top of him.

From the look of him, he'd been asleep- but it didn't seem to have done him much good. He looked pale and tired, and there were bags beneath his eyes. At the sight of me, however, he perked up.

"Ana! You're awake."

I managed a grin. "Yeah," I said, but my voice was still rough sounding. I swallowed, but my mouth was so dry that the act was painful.

"Here- lemme get you some water." Jack reached beneath the bed and emerged with a glass bottle, which he held out to me.

I gave him a skeptical look. It suspiciously resembled a rum bottle.

"I swear it's water," he said with a grin.

Rolling my eyes, I took the bottle, uncorked it, and began to drink. After I had drunk enough to rid my throat of its pain and dryness, I corked the bottle and set it down on the bed.

"Thanks," I said, my voice back to normal. "I needed that."

"I could tell," Jack replied, flashing me another grin. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," I said.

It was his turn to look skeptical.

"Okay," I conceded. "It bloody well hurts."

"Doc said you'd be out for most o' the pain, but tha' we could give you laudanum if the pain was too much," Jack offered.

I grimaced. "No thanks. Pain ain't that bad."

We sat in silence for a moment.

"Are you-" I began.

"I was-" Jack said at the same time.

We looked at each other, smiling.

"You go first," he said hastily.

"I was just wondering if you were okay." I said. "I mean… he was aiming for you, after all."

"Wha- me?" Jack seemed taken aback. "I'm fine. Thanks to you."

"I'm jus' glad you're okay," I said. I was vaguely aware that I would never have said such a thing to Jack before all of this- I would have considered it far too soft. But now, it didn't seem to matter.

"You're glad _I'm_ okay? Ana, you're the one tha' were shot!"

I had no answer for this. I had done the only thing I could have. Before that moment, I honestly couldn't have said whether or not I'd die for Jack. In fact, I'd probably have said that it depended on whether or not he'd do the same for me. But now I saw that that wasn't what it was about. It was about the fact that, like it or not, Jack Sparrow was the love of my life, and I'd willingly lay down my own life to save his.

I was smart enough to keep all of this to myself, however, and so merely said, "I was just lookin' out for my captain."

He smiled, as if knowing my real reasons ran much deeper. "Oh, Ana…" he sighed. "I didn' deserve that, luv."

"Course you did," I told him kindly. "You're Captain Jack Sparrow."

Although he was still smiling, I could see the emotion in his eyes. "I don't deserve you."

"I beg to differ," I said softly.

We looked at one another for a long moment, and I was reminded again of how much I loved this man. Despite his imperfections and flaws, I loved him. And in that moment, I became certain of one thing: he loved me too.

"Jack…" I began.

I was interrupted, however, as the door of the cabin opened. It was Jody.

"Mum!" she exclaimed. "You're awake!"

Jack smiled at me, and I grinned back. This moment had waited for more than fifteen years. It could wait a little longer.

I turned to Jody. "Aye, I am."

She had hurried to the bed, but now hung back a little. "Are you- I mean- are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine," I assured her.

Jody, bless her, still looked doubtful. "Has Rob- the doctor checked you over?"

I shook my head. "Not yet, but I feel very well."

She frowned. "Well, you aren't a doctor, are you?"

"Well… no, but-"

"Then how do you know that you're going to be all right?" she countered.

I honestly had no response to that. Rarely had I seen Jody this assertive. "She picked this up from you, I assume?" I asked Jack.

"I was always under the impression tha' she inherited it from you," he replied with a mischievous grin.

"Does it matter?" Jody asked impatiently. "I'm going to go find the doctor."

"No, lass, I'll go," Jack offered. "You stay here."

Jody nodded seriously. "Thanks."

Jack left the cabin, shutting the door softly behind him.

I stretched for a moment, realizing that I was somewhat sore, presumably from being in bed for so long.

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"Three days," Jody replied.

"Really?" I was surprised. I had only been expecting it to be a day later, at the most.

"I- we were worried," she said, biting her lip. Her assertive, take-charge attitude of moments before had vanished, and I realized that it had been a front. Jody was, after all, only fifteen.

At that age, I had long ago been required to take on the responsibilities of an adult on the plantation. I remembered from that age how those older than I was had seemed to take it for granted that I was ready for adult responsibilities. I had gone about my work with bitterness directed at them all- the Master and his family, naturally; but I also harbored resentment at the older slaves who were so unsympathetic to my suffering. Looking back, it was plain that they had had problems of their own, without worrying about a young girl with no family- which was yet another reason I'd been so lonely.

Jody's situation, however, was very different. This was a life she loved, and wanted- and perhaps she was trying to grow up too quickly, trying to prove her worth.

"Oh, sweetheart…" I said gently.

Tears welled up in her eyes then, which she quickly and defiantly wiped away. "I- I was afraid you were going to die," she said, voice breaking.

A lump rose in my throat, and I felt a pang of guilt. I hadn't thought of how hard this would be for her. Wordlessly, I held my arms open, and she embraced me as she had done when she was young. "I- I don't want you to die!" she sobbed.

"I'm not going to, honey," I assured her.

She drew away. "You don' know that," she said, sounding resigned.

"No," I admitted. "Such is the nature of the life we've chosen."

She nodded, calmer now. Her moment of- what, exactly? It wasn't weakness, though I suspected she'd see it that way- had passed. She was calm now, and had passed her first real test in the life of a pirate.

Protectiveness welled up in me again- she was only fifteen! but I calmed myself. She had chosen this life, after all, as had I. As had we all.

"You saved Dad's life," she said.

I shrugged, strangely self-conscious now. "Maybe. Maybe he wouldn't have been hurt any more than I am."

Jody gave me a skeptical look. "That other captain wasn't more 'an five feet away, Dad said! He'd have got 'im for sure!"

"Maybe," I repeated.

Jody sighed, exasperated. "Well. One good thing came out of all this, anyway."

I raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"You," she said, positively grinning, "Can no longer deny that you're in love with Dad."

"No," I agreed. "I should think not."

Jody deflated a little at this. Clearly, she'd been expecting me to continue to deny my feelings for Jack. "Oh."

I smiled. "It'd be pointless to deny it now, wouldn't it?"

"Well, aye. That was my point."

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" I called.

It was Jack. He'd brought Doctor Robert with him, which I'd been expecting. But, to my pleasant surprise, Gibbs was with him.

"Ana!" he cried, rushing to the bed and embracing me gently. "You alright, lass?"

"I feel fine," I told him. "However, Jody's currently forbidding me to say yea or nay until the doc here looks me over."

"Well, then, you might as well let me do my bloody job then, eh?" Robert grumbled good-naturedly.

Robert, or Doc as we usually called him, was actually a young man- young for a doctor, at any rate. He had just turned thirty, and looked younger. He was tall, blonde- and, I supposed, quite handsome. Jody certainly seemed to think so- Jack, Gibbs, and I had noticed her eyeing him on more than one occasion. Apparently, though, he wasn't inclined towards women, so we had agreed that there was no harm in letting her look.

Doc took off my bandages and examined the wound. "Looks all right," he said. "It's healing well enough, and it'll be good as new soon enough- _if_ you're careful. I want you in bed for the next week, at the least. After that you can get up, but go easy on it. And I mean easy- don't return to your normal duties until I give the okay- assuming that's all right with you, Captain, o' course."

"I just want her better," Jack said.

"Right then," he said. "I'll jus' put fresh bandages on an' then I'll leave you to get your rest."

I scowled at the prospect of a week in bed. Ordinarily I'd have tried to weasel out of it somehow, but I knew that Jack, Gibbs, and even Jody would make sure I didn't.

After replacing my bandages, Doc left us alone. Gibbs, Jack and Jody stayed with me for a while, and we talked for an hour or so. Jody, though she'd heard the tale of Barbossa and his cursed crew before, begged to be told the story again.

We acquiesced, and the three of us took turns narrating the various events of the incident. I wasn't often called upon to contribute, preferring instead to let Jack and Gibbs recall the experience- they were, after all, the master storytellers among us. Most of my additions, in fact, were correcting Jack- and even Gibbs, at times. Clearly the story had become the stuff of legend, and I was hard pressed to remind them that it had all actually happened.

It grew late, and Gibbs finally declared that he was going to bed.

"You'd best get to sleep too, lass," he advised Jody.

"I'm not tired," she insisted. "Besides, I've got watch in a few hours."

Gibbs, Jack and I exchanged looks. Any sailor, pirate or not, got used to using any free time before, after, or between night watches to catch some much-needed sleep. I suspected that the reason that Jody hadn't learned this yet was that Jack and I had agreed to go easy on her as far as duties were concerned. I still felt that she was all too young for this life.

"Well, don't go t'bed then, but you'd best clear out o' here," Jack said. "Your mother needs her rest."

"Jack, I 'aven't been doin' anything but sleep for the past three days!" I protested.

"You 'eard the doctor," he replied in a tone that left no room for argument.

I scowled. "Fine." Though I was loath to admit it, I _was_ a little tired.

"C'mon, lass," said Gibbs to Jody. "We'll go up on deck if you like."

Jody grudgingly followed Gibbs out of the cabin, leaving me and Jack alone.

A thought occurred to me then. "Jack," I asked. "Where 'ave you been sleeping?"

He shrugged. "In 'ere, in one o' the chairs."

"That can't have been very comfortable," I observed. "You look terrible."

"I 'preciate that, luv," he responded sarcastically.

"I'm jus' sayin'- looks as though I ain't the only one who could do with some rest… and I 'appen to know for a fact that this bed can fit the both of us."

A slow smile spread across Jack's face. "Aye," he said. "So it can. But…"

"But?"

"You're s'posed to be resting," he said.

"Who says we can't rest at the same time?"

Jack grinned. "Aye, luv, tha's an uncommonly good idea."

I moved over, patting the bed beside me. Jack kicked off his boots and slid in under the covers, and I snuggled against him- at least, as much as I could without aggravating my shoulder. We lay there in silence. The though entered my mind that I should say something, that I should finally, after all these years, tell Jack that I loved him. But the moment was so perfect that I didn't want to break it, and after a while, Jack began to snore softly, and my chance was gone.

_Yes,_ I thought to myself as I drifted off towards sleep of my own. _I should tell him. But not yet._

That night I dreamed of Jack, and of the days when we sailed the seas together without a care in the world.

-

The days of my recovery passed slowly. It was exceedingly boring to lie in bed all day, and though the other members of our little family often came to keep me company, I soon grew restless.

"Can't I get out of bed yet?" I complained one day the moment Jack walked through the door.

"Nope," he replied. "Four more days."

I sighed. "I know it. Oi, get me some rum, would you? Help the time pass."

I knew full well Jack wasn't going to argue with that. All the same, he didn't look thrilled at the idea. "Aright… maybe just a bit."

I scowled. "Well, you're a hypocrite. When you got that knife wound, you were drinkin' like a fish. _And,_" I went on, remembering further evidence of Jack's duplicity. "You were laid up for what, a day? After that you were back to orderin' us around."

Jack rolled his eyes. "It were shallow! Didn' even need stitches, an' it was only in the arm- the left arm, as I recall. Besides, that was years back."

"That's not the point. An' it did so need stitches, you just refused to get 'em," I replied.

"I didn' get 'em because I didn' need 'em," he retorted. "Ahah!"

He'd been rooting around in his desk, and had finally found two bottles of rum. One was fairly large, and nearly full. The other was small, and half-empty.

"Here you go, then," he said, handing me the smaller of the two.

"Thanks," I said sarcastically.

Neither of us spoke for a few minutes. Pretty soon, I'd downed the bottle- not that there had been much to begin with. I held out my bottle to Jack, wordlessly asking him to refill it. He looked from me to the bottle, and then back again. He took my bottle and poured in a bit of his before handing it back. I didn't know if he had given me such a small amount out of concern for my health, or because he was loath to part with his own portion.

"Y'know," I remarked. "The Chinese believe that if you save someone's life, you're responsible for them forever."

Jack absorbed this. "Seems like it oughta be the other way 'round," he commented.

I shrugged. "Mubbe. They believe your lives are permanently intertwined, anyway."

Jack smiled. "Our lives are already intertwined, luv."

I nodded, knowing he wasn't only referring to Jody. "Tha's true enough."

Neither of us spoke for a few moments. I was gazing steadily at Jack, who wouldn't quite meet my eyes. He wasn't ready to admit to his feelings for me, I guessed. And given how hard I'd been trying to make him do so, maybe I was similarly unprepared.

After all, what did I have to loose by telling him that I loved him? I was sure he knew already, so speaking the actual words couldn't possibly make that much of a difference. But although my head knew that, my heart cried out in protest. To that young woman of fifteen years ago, it would have made _all_ the difference.

Well, I thought, maybe that was the problem. The woman I'd been fifteen years ago… she'd been strong, but also unsure. So she'd done what she thought she had to, because she thought strength and bravery were the same thing.

But I knew now that she- that _I_- had been wrong. Because it would have taken so much more strength, so much more bravery, to tell Jack the truth. To tell him I was pregnant. To tell him I loved him, and wanted to be with him. But I'd been too scared, and I'd taken the coward's way out. And it had hurt not only Jack and I, but Jody, and even Gibbs, as well.

I had to let go of those old ways. I vividly remembered how scared I'd been, sitting with Gibbs in Dr. Landis' office. I'd felt like my life was over, that I was being punished- by God or Fate or _something_- for having been so foolish. Well, now I knew that the only one I'd been punishing was myself. Back then I had made the selfish choice. Now, I had to do what was best for our family.

And that was bringing everything out into the open.

_And after all,_ I thought, _No one ever said I couldn't do it with style. Jack would approve._ So I drained the rest of my bottle for a bit of Dutch courage and forced nonchalance into my tone.

"Jack," I said casually, acting as though my heart wasn't pounding in my throat harder than it had in my entire _life_. "I… ah, wanted to tell you something."

"Wha's 'at, luv?"

"Um… Well, you know you're pretty much a bastard."

Mentally, I slapped myself across the forehead. That hadn't been what I wanted to say!

He regarded me somewhat dubiously. "I don' b'lieve my parents were hitched, no." He looked at me closely. "That all you wanted to say, luv? 'Cause I knew that."

"No, that's not what I wanted to say," I managed. "I was trying to tell you that I love you, you wanker!"

This time I really _did _slap myself on the forehead. "Shit," I swore, sliding my hand down to cover my eyes. "Look, that's not how that was s'posed to-"

"Ana," Jack interrupted. "I don' give a fuck _how_ you say it."

I nervously peeked out from behind my hand to view his reaction- and found myself blown away by what I saw. It was _the_ most intense expression I'd ever seen from him.

"What matters," he went on. "Is that you said it."

And with that, Jack leaned forward and kissed me with such intensity that it left me breathless. "I didn' think you'd ever say it," he murmured.

"You 'ave t' say it back, now," I told him.

Jack flashed me that trademark grin. "I know."

I raised an eyebrow- because _that_ grin, I knew, was a front. He wasn't going to be expressing any feelings with that look on his face.

Jack chuckled nervously. "Aye, alright…" he took a deep breath, "Ah, bloody 'ell, Ana, you know I love you!"

I laughed out loud. "_Why_ did I think this was goin' t' be romantic?"

" 'Ey!" he exclaimed. "You love me. That means you 'ave to put up wi' me!"

I heaved a sigh. "Well," I said in tones of mock resignation. "I s'pose someone's gotta do it."

-

A few days later I was out of bed. Both Jack and Gibbs were insisting that I take it easy, and so although I was no longer confined to bed, I wasn't doing much more than stroll around on deck.

One evening found us sailing towards the setting sun. I was standing up at the bow with Gibbs when Jody approached me. "What are you doin'?" she asked.

"Watching the sun set," I replied.

"This 'ere's the most beautiful sunset I've seen in a long while," Gibbs added.

Jody regarded it for a moment. "Yeah," she agreed. "It is pretty."

"But no' as pretty as your mother," Jack said, walking up and putting an arm around me.

I turned to look at him. "Why Captain Sparrow, are you tryin' to sweet-talk me?" I teased.

"Maybe," he replied, eyes dancing.

Jody was observing us with undisguised glee. She and Gibbs had been positively ecstatic when Jack and I had told them that we'd admitted our feelings for each other.

"So," she said. "You two gonna get married?"

Neither Jack nor I spoke for a moment.

"I don't think either one of us thought o' that," I said finally. "But it ain't a bad idea."

Jack looked slightly pained. "Aw, Ana… d' we really need some minister t' say a few words? We already know how we feel 'bout each other."

"But it would be so romantic!" Jody interjected.

"She 'as a point," I said playfully.

Jack looked to Gibbs in a silent plea for aid. The other man shook his head. "Oh, no," he said. "I ain't gettin' involved in this one."

I planted a kiss on Jack's lips. "I don' need you to marry me," I told him seriously.

I looked around at the four of us. We'd been through a lot in the past fifteen years, but through it all we'd loved one another. And that was what really counted. We might not be traditional, but all the same- we were a family.

"I already have everything I ever wanted."

-

THE END


End file.
